Trinity
by Broken Angel01
Summary: Willis had always wanted to spend a year in Japan with his fellow Digidestined, but fate takes a sudden twist when he finds himself caught up in a battle with the Powers of Darkness far greater than anything he could have ever imagined...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

A/N: Another new story from me! This one takes place about four years after the fight with MaloMyotismon. I've always loved Willis, and since he didn't show up in the second season of Digimon, I thought I'd write a story that would focus on him and several other Digidestined. As for couples, I'm not sure yet if any will take place for as usual this fic is mostly about friendship. (My specialty) Chapter one will introduce Willis into the story. This will be my last update this week, but I'll be back with more as soon as possible for this story and FTFOD.

Trinity

Prologue

Lightning raced across the dark sky, but the figure standing erect beneath the heavy rain clouds barely noticed. At the moment, the only thing the dark shadow cared about was the apartment building located just across the street. It was black and silent, but the smiling figure knew it was far from being empty.

He was in there.

How was it possible that one boy could cause the Digital World so much trouble in the past, and yet the history of the Digital World, especially those tales revolving around the Digidestined, could not lie. The humans had become legend, and every digimon in the Digital World knew all about the Digidestined and their quest to keep the darkness in the Digital World at bay. What was even more amazing was the fact that the boy had no clue just how strong he really was.

_Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_

The dark figure did not really know, but considering how much damage the boy had already caused, if the stories about the Digidestined were indeed fact and not fiction, it was pretty safe to say things would go a lot more smoothly if he never found out just how much power he truly possessed within his heart.

After all, he was the main reason why the other two had failed to succumb to the Powers of Darkness in the past, and that was something that could no longer be allowed to continue.

_At least, not if we want our plan to succeed._

Neither he, nor his friends, knew just how much he had helped them, was still helping them, and as a result the Digidestined, especially the other two children of light, were unable to understand just how important he was to them. He was their rock, and that was why he had to be destroyed first.

_Once he's out of the picture, the other two will fall like flies. There's a weak link in every chain, and in this case there are two. As soon as all three of them lose their hearts to the darkness, the rest of the Digidestined will become easy prey, and then the Digital World will be ours. They will be their own undoing, and once they fall, who then will be left to stop us?_

"Through the shadows, evil calls. The face of nightmares shall be shown," the figure whispered, gazing triumphantly at the sky. The rain was starting to pound more heavily against the sidewalk, drenching the dark figure's small body, but rather than allowing the cold drops to cause a distraction, the figure merely ignored them and continued to gaze up at the thick, black clouds hovering over the streets of Odaiba. A loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky, and the dark shadow slowly turned to look back at the apartment building. Nothing had changed. The place was still as silent as a tomb.

The figure smiled.

"Sleep well, young Digidestined, because your nightmare is about to begin."

Without another word, the dark figure slipped back into the night and disappeared.


	2. The Land of the Rising Sun

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry about the wait, but I had to do a bit of research for this chapter. If I've made any mistakes with any of the info on Odaiba (etc.) I apologize ahead of time. The chapters will get longer once I get into the story more. And now we meet Willis!

Trinity

Chapter 1: The Land of the Rising Sun

_Willis_

Willis slowly made his way through the large crowd at Narita International Airport and frowning to himself he glanced nervously around the main meeting area located on the first floor of Terminal One. He was supposed to be joining up with the Motomiya family, but so far none of them had bothered to put in an appearance.

_I hope Davis hasn't forgotten about me already. I did remember to send him that e-mail on my laptop, didn't I?_

He was sure he had, so where were they?

_Maybe they're outside. My plane was late, after all, and they could have just gotten here a couple of minutes ago. I'd better go check and see._

He glanced once more over his shoulder to make sure he had not missed them and making a decision he quickly dragged his two large suitcases towards the main entrance. Thankfully, he was able to roll his luggage along because the duffel bag hanging over his left shoulder was starting to weigh him down, and the laptop under his arm felt like it was going to slip out of his grip at any moment.

Luckily, he made it to the doors without too much difficulty and he was about to step out into the sunshine when someone suddenly came through the entrance just as he was about to leave. The dark-haired boy promptly ran right into him, and looking up in surprise, he realized it was Davis. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"Are you kidding me? I'd never forget something this important! Welcome to Japan. Did you have a good flight?"

Willis found himself being pulled into an enthusiastic hug, and he winced when the goggle-headed Digidestined leader starting pounding him on the back. "Let's just say I hope the food here is a lot better than the stuff I got on the plane! I take it you got my e-mail?"

Davis grinned at him and nodded. "Of course I did. I never go anywhere without my D-Terminal. It's good to see you again. What have you been doing for the past four years? E-mails and instant messaging can only tell me so much. I want to hear the details."

"Not much. I still can't believe my parents agreed to let me go to school here for a year."

"I know what you mean, but your school in Colorado has a really great exchange student program."

"Yeah, I think that's the only reason why they decided to let me come. Remind me to thank your parents for offering to be my host family. A year is a long time for them to have to put up with me."

"Don't worry about it. Remember, Jun went off to college so it's not like we don't have the space. Did you pick up all your luggage?"

Willis nodded, and raising his eyebrows he smiled at the goggle-headed leader's obvious excitement. He had not seen any of the Japanese Digidestined since the day they had helped him save Kokomon, and like Davis had said earlier, that had been four years ago. He had kept in touch with most of them by e-mail over the years, but nothing could compare to the amount of excitement he felt at the chance to hang out with not only Davis, but his other Digidestined friends, as well. They had done so much for him, and for the first time in four years he finally had a chance to prove to them just how grateful he really was.

"Davis, I told you to wait for us!"

Willis glanced over the goggle-headed leader's shoulder and he smiled at the sight of Davis' parents struggling to get through the door. Mrs. Motomiya made it through first, and catching sight of him she gave him a warm smile. "Hello, Willis. Welcome to Japan. I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally have a chance to meet you in person. I'm sorry we're late. I had to pull Davis out of school, and we weren't sure what time you'd get here because your plane was delayed. You didn't have to wait long, did you?"

Willis felt suddenly touched by her concern, and ducking his head he managed a shy smile. "No. It took me almost half an hour just to get through Passport Control on the second floor, and I had to spend another half-hour trying to locate my luggage. You guys came just in time."

"See, honey? I told you not to worry, didn't I?" Mr. Motomiya said, his lips twitching into a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Willis. Jun wanted to come, too, but she had an important class to attend. She does go to school here in Tokyo, but she usually only comes home for the weekends."

"She's sharing an apartment with some of her friends on the mainland," Davis explained. "Can we leave now? I'm starving. Kari and the rest of our friends are still at school, but they should be getting out in about ten minutes. They wanted to come, too, but for obvious reasons they couldn't. I promised I'd make it up to them by inviting them over for supper tonight. You don't mind, do you?"

Willis stared at his friend in surprise and smiling he quickly shook his head. "Not at all. I'm anxious to see them again. How long will it take us to get to Odaiba?"

"Too long!" Davis groaned.

"Yes, we'd better get going. I never did have time to start supper, and with seven hungry kids to feed I think our best option would be to grab something on the way. That way I won't have to cook!" Mrs. Motomiya laughed. "Well? Honestly, Davis, don't just stand there! Help Willis with his luggage before he ends up dropping something on his foot."

Willis quickly followed the others out the door and they hurried towards the nearest terminal to take them to Odaiba. The Motomiyas had decided to leave their car behind because they had wanted him to get used to using one of the more popular methods of transport in Japan. The trip to Daiba station was going to take approximately an hour and forty-five minutes, so he had plenty of time to study his new surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the fact that Tokyo appeared to be extremely crowded. It made his hometown in the state of Colorado look like a ghost town.

"What do you think?" Davis asked, grinning at the expression on his face.

Willis managed a weak smile and shrugging his shoulders he said, "I never knew it was possible to cram so many people into one place. It's enough to make an American born Digidestined feel extremely overwhelmed."

"You get used to it after a while. Come on, we'd better hurry up or we're going to get left behind."

The ride to Odaiba took almost two hours, but Willis enjoyed every minute of it. Izzy had taken a lot of time to help him read, speak, and write Japanese, and as a result he had become quite comfortable with the language over the past four years. In fact, he had done even better than he thought he had because he was having no trouble understanding all the conversations going on around him. There were still occasions where he had to think carefully before he understood what someone was saying, but he could still speak it well enough to choose between English and Japanese when chatting with his friends. At the moment Davis and his parents had chosen to speak English for his benefit.

"Odaiba can be a pretty scary looking place for someone who hasn't lived in Japan all their life, but it grows on you after a while," Davis shouted over the noise of the crowd, interrupting his thoughts.

Willis rolled his eyes, and studying the happy expression on his friend's face, he couldn't help smiling in amusement. At sixteen years of age, Davis Motomiya had not changed at all in the past four years. He was taller and heavier, but the sparkle in his dark eyes hadn't been diminished with age, and the smile on his face was brighter even than Willis remembered from their last meeting. The long-sleeved red shirt Davis wore showed off the red highlights in his spiky hair, and his dark blue jeans fit him well enough to show off his much longer legs. The most familiar thing about him, though, was his enthusiasm for life and of course the ever present pair of goggles perched on top of his head.

"I'm sure it will, Davis. How much longer till we get there?"

They came in sight of their destination about twenty minutes later, and Willis could not help gawking like a tourist at his first site of the Odaiba skyline out in the waters of Tokyo Bay. He got a fantastic view of the Rainbow Bridge, and in his excitement he proceeded to make a mental list of all the places he wanted to visit.

_Doesn't T.K.'s dad work at the Fuji T.V. Studio? That would be one place to check out._

He would never admit it to anyone, but he was extremely glad T.K. was blond and blue-eyed like him. With a friend like T.K., he would not feel so out of place in a land where almost everyone had dark hair and dark eyes, but unfortunately, at the moment, he was feeling very much like a foreigner.

"Alright, this is our stop. Come on, boys," Mrs. Motomiya said, standing up and motioning for them to follow her.

They made it to the Motomiya residence about fifteen minutes later, and Willis quickly followed Davis through the door. Mrs. Motomiya had put him in the spare room next to Davis' room, and as soon as all of his suitcases were dragged into the room he sat down on the edge of the bed and quickly flipped open his laptop.

"What are you doing?" Davis asked, sitting down beside him.

Willis quickly typed out a message, and looking up he gave his friend a warm smile. "I'm just writing a letter to my parents to let them know I got here okay."

"Good idea. We'd better go help my mom with the food before she starts yelling at us."

They had picked up some dinner on the way to the Motomiya residence, and Willis realized he was really hungry after such a long day of travelling. He helped Davis carry in the bags from the taxi waiting at the curb, and letting out a happy sigh he slowly sank into a chair at the kitchen table. "When are the others going to get here?"

"Pretty soon," Davis said, shrugging his shoulders. "And don't worry about school. You've only missed the first week here in Japan so you'll catch up pretty quick."

"Well, that's a relief. I wanted to come a week earlier, but there were a few things I had to finish at my own school first. One thing's for sure, I'm definitely glad to be off of that plane!"

Mrs. Motomiya smiled at him, and reaching out she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "So, what do you think of Odaiba?"

Willis glanced at Davis, who was gazing wistfully at the food, and smiled. "You know what? I think I'm going to like it here."


	3. Evil Calls

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Again, I'm sorry about the wait, but I had to come up with a little riddle for the Digidestined to try and figure out! Now the question is whether or not anyone else can figure it out, as well! (Which I have a sneaking suspicion many of you will.)

Trinity

Chapter 2: Evil Calls

_T.K._

T.K. Takaishi stepped into the computer room and resisting a sudden urge to laugh he smiled at the sight of Yolei glaring angrily at the screen in front of her. "Let me guess. That computer isn't working, is it."

Yolei let out a frustrated sigh, and wrinkling her nose she banged her fist rather harder than necessary on the keyboard. "No! I was writing an e-mail to Sonya over in Russia, and this stupid thing suddenly shut off before I could even send my message. What a waste of time! And I thought the computers at our old elementary school were bad!"

T.K. sat down in a chair next to his lavender-haired friend and smiling he gave the female Digidestined a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. He knew exactly how she felt. He, along with his friends, had been using one of the two computer rooms at their high school as a hangout for travelling to the Digital World, and so far in the several years he had been out of elementary school the computers had given them nothing but grief.

_It's amazing Yolei hasn't gone completely crazy yet! I wouldn't blame her if she did, but somehow I don't think that excuse will work on Mr. Maruyama. He'd have a fit if Yolei ended up putting her fist through one of his computer screens!_

Mr. Maruyama was one of the computer teachers, and he could be very protective of the equipment in his classroom. Needless to say, he was very wary of Yolei because she was constantly tinkering around with his precious computers.

_As if she would ever break any of them. Yolei knows almost as much about computers as Izzy, but obviously that doesn't mean anything, despite the fact that Izzy was one of Mr. Maruyama's favorite students!_

"Well, this will give Mr. Maruyama another excuse to accuse me of sabotaging his classroom. He always blames me when one of the computers breaks," Yolei sighed, interrupting his thoughts.

T.K. stared at the lavender-haired Digidestined for a moment, and shaking his head he began to study her discreetly from beneath his lashes. Yolei was dressed in a short, green skirt, white shirt, stylish glasses, and bright green sandals, and her long, lavender hair was held up in a high ponytail. At the age of seventeen, her appearance had altered quite a bit in the past four years, but her personality was very much the same. Davis was constantly complaining about her attitude all the time, but T.K. hoped she never changed. He liked her just the way she was, and he knew the Digital World would not be the same place anymore without her.

"We could always use the computer room downstairs. Mrs. Sato really likes you. I'm sure she'd never blame you for any of her computers malfunctioning."

Yolei made a face at him, and tugging angrily on her ponytail she shook her head in disgust. "That won't work. I'm in the computer club, remember? We use Mrs. Sato's room for our meetings after school. We have ever since I started at this school. Kiyo and the others can't stand Mr. Maruyama either!"

T.K. crossed his arms, and gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling he nodded in agreement. "True, but couldn't we just go to the Digital World on the days when you guys don't have any meetings scheduled?"

"No, there are too many who use that room at lunch and after school for projects and other stuff. We'd never get to the Digital World without someone catching us."

"Um...Yolei? Remember Arukenimon and Mummymon? And don't forget about Oikawa and Daemon. I think it's pretty safe to say a lot of people know about the Digital World. Those four caused a lot of trouble in the real world four years ago."

"So did Myotismon and the Dark Masters, but you guys were still cautious about letting anyone know the gates had opened again when Ken became the Emperor. No one knows the gates are still open besides all of us Digidestined, and I'd like to keep it that way!"

"Alright, you don't have to bite my head off! I agree with you, you know."

"I know." Yolei patted his knee, and tilting her head to the side she gave him a warm smile. "How was your basketball meeting?"

"Really boring. It was our first one of the school year, after all, so there wasn't much to talk about. Where are the others?"

"Cody had kendo practice this afternoon, and I think Kari said she had something to do for the photography club. I'm not sure what, though. Ken said he would catch up with us at Davis' place. I think he's a bit nervous about meeting Willis."

T.K. leaned back in his chair and frowning he gazed thoughtfully at the black computer screen in front of him. He could understand why Ken would feel a bit uneasy about meeting Willis because the former Emperor had not had a chance to help them defeat Cherubimon four years ago, and unfortunately that was probably going to make both Ken and Willis feel a bit awkward around each other.

_I bet Ken's afraid Willis won't like him because of his past. If only the two of them had had a chance to get to know each other a long time ago. Maybe then Ken wouldn't feel so nervous, but unfortunately he's never even seen Willis, and for some reason I get the feeling their first conversation isn't going to go as well as Davis seems to think it will. Speaking of Willis..._

T.K. lowered his bright blue eyes to the ground and nervously twisting his hands together he stared silently at his feet. Unlike Yolei, Davis, and some of the others, he had not really kept in touch with Willis over the past four years. The two of them had exchanged only a handful of e-mails since the day they had met each other in New York, and although he had tried many times to come up with an answer for the lack of communication on both sides, he still had absolutely no idea why neither one of them had made more of an effort to keep in touch. They were still friends, but for some reason the e-mails he had received from the American Digidestined had always sounded rather subdued, and as a result he had had no idea how to respond to the vague messages that had so seldom appeared in his inbox.

_Is it just me or does Willis seem to feel a lot more comfortable around Davis than he does around me? At least that's the impression I got when we were in New York. Either that or I'm starting to lose my mind. It's not like he said or did anything to make me think such crazy thoughts. It's just...I don't know...a feeling I have. Who knows? Maybe I'm only imagining things. At least I hope I am..._

That was one of the reasons why he was glad Willis had decided to go to school in Japan for a year. It was a perfect opportunity for the two of them to get to know each other better, and he was going to make the most of it. He knew he wanted to strengthen his friendship with the American Digidestined, but unfortunately that did not mean Willis felt the same way.

_I wonder if he's even noticed how much we've drifted away from each other over the past four years. I know we didn't have a chance to spend a lot of time together when we were in New York, or when we ended up in Colorado, but that didn't stop him from becoming good friends with Davis. I don't understand. Willis spent just as much time with me as he did with the others so why is he acting like I don't even exist? Doesn't he want to get closer to me?_

"T.K.? Hey, are you listening to me?"

T.K. looked up in surprise, and realizing he had not heard a single word of what Yolei had said he mumbled, "Um...sorry. What was that?"

Yolei crossed her arms over her chest, and lifting her chin she gave him a dirty look. "You're getting as bad as Davis, you know that? I said Kari and Cody had better get here soon or we're going to be late. It's a good thing Davis told us to come over for supper instead of right after school because there's no way any of us would have been able to show up on time, and I wouldn't want Willis to think we didn't care enough to meet him as soon as we got out of school."

"Willis would have understood. Come on, Yolei, you know what Cody's like. There's no way we would have been able to convince him to miss a kendo lesson with his grandfather, and I had to go to my basketball meeting. Mr. Arakaki never would have forgiven me if I'd missed the first one of the season. Besides, there's no way Willis would have gotten here in time for us to see him right after school anyways because his plane didn't leave when it was supposed to."

"You're right. Actually, I'd almost forgotten his plane was delayed."

T.K. smiled slightly and nodded. "Either that or you were ignoring Davis again! You really should pay more attention to him, you know, even if his words are coming from an e-mail instead of straight from his mouth. He does say useful things once in a while, even if you don't think he does!"

"Well, he should make it more of a habit then, shouldn't he! Now where are Cody and Kari, and why won't this stupid computer work!"

Yolei slammed her fist against the side of the monitor and T.K. jumped in surprise when the screen suddenly lit up. "Hey, look! You must have fixed it. Mr. Maruyama will kill you if he ever finds out you hit one of his precious computers!"

"Oh, who cares what he thinks!"

" And Izzy tried to stop Tai from giving his laptop a couple of whacks to get it working again! What do computer experts know anyway?"

"Hey, I know a lot about computers, too! Oh, look! It says I have an e-mail! I wonder who it's from. It can't be from Sonya. There's no way she could have gotten my message. I never got a chance to send it, remember? Maybe it's from Mimi. She's always e-mailing me with news about what's going on with her in New York."

"Why don't you click on it and see?"

Yolei quickly pulled up the message, and T.K. frowned when he realized it was written in the form of a poem. It said:

_A time will pass when darkness falls, __  
Enemies of power unknown. __  
Through the shadows, evil calls,  
The face of nightmares shall be shown._

_It comes for you, you hold the crest,__  
Fate rests in your hands.__  
The life and soul who holds the rest,  
Through this troubled land._

_Beware illusions take the place,__  
Of what is real and true.  
For evil has a pleasant face,  
In which it hides from you._

_It comes for you, it has no choice,__  
For light and faith have failed.__  
Its only hope to go for you,  
Their partner in this tale._

_You're the rock that holds them up,__  
Making you its prey.  
__To steal your power, that's their goal,  
And lead you all astray._

_The only way to save your soul,__  
Should darkness ever enter.__  
Take the hands of those who hold,  
The power that is your equal._

T.K. stared at the words on the monitor with his mouth hanging open and leaning closer for a better look at the screen he felt a shiver race down his spine.

"What is it?" Yolei whispered, gazing wide-eyed at the screen.

T.K. shrugged, and leaning back in his chair he slowly shook his head. "I don't know, but it sounds almost like a...a warning to me. Who's it from?"

Yolei scrolled down to the bottom of the page and making a face, she let out a sigh of frustration. "It says it's from the 'Keeper of the Prophecies', whatever that means. Wait a minute! That's impossible! Look! There's no return address! How could it have been sent to my e-mail without one? Do you think it has something to do with the Digital World?"

"Yes."

Yolei stared at him, and nodding his head at the screen he pointed to the second paragraph. "I know for a fact it has something to do with the Digital World because it mentions the crests."

"But...the crests are gone!"

"Maybe, but their power still exists. You haven't forgotten about the Digi-eggs already, have you?"

Yolei glanced uneasily at the screen, and shivering she wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug. "Talk about weird. Do you think maybe Gennai could have sent it?"

"I'm not sure, but that's a possibility."

"I don't get it. The Digital World was fine when we went there to visit Hawkmon and the others a couple days ago. Do you think the place could have changed so drastically in such a short time?"

T.K. ran a hand through his golden hair and shrugging his shoulders he said, "I don't know. I guess that's a possibility, but it doesn't seem very likely, does it."

"Now you're starting to sound like Izzy. Um...T.K.? Do you think we should tell the others?"

"No."

Yolei flinched, and T.K. realized his voice sounded sharper than he had intended.

"Why not?"

"What if it doesn't mean anything? There's no point in worrying Davis and the others over nothing."

"T.K., we've never received a useless message from the Digital World before and you know it!"

T.K. chose to ignore that comment, and he turning his attention to the door instead he scratched the back of his head in thoughtful contemplation. He knew Yolei was right, but if they told the others before they had a chance to figure out what it meant, he'd never have a chance to work on his friendship with Willis. The American Digidestined and the rest of his friends would be too busy worrying about what was going on in the Digital World to pay much attention to renewing old friendships.

_Especially Willis._

He felt a bit guilty about his selfish thoughts, but he could not help himself from thinking them anyway. This could be his only chance to find out why Willis appeared to feel more comfortable around Davis and some of the others compared to him.

_Besides, it's not like there's anything we can do about the Digital World today. I'll tell Davis after I've had a chance to talk to Willis. That should satisfy Yolei._

"We have to tell them eventually," Yolei sniffed, giving him a dirty look.

"We will, but let's wait until after we've had a chance to welcome Willis to Japan, okay?"

"But-"

"It's almost suppertime. We'd better go find Kari and-"

At that moment the door swung open, and sixteen year old Kari Kamiya came into the room, followed by fourteen year old Cody Hida.

"Hey, guys, I'm sorry we're late," Kari said, giving them an apologetic smile.

T.K. sent Yolei a frantic look, and the lavender-haired Digidestined shut off the computer without even bothering to log off. If Mr. Maruyama had been in the room at that moment T.K. was sure he probably would have murdered the lavender-haired Digidestined.

"Hey, Kari," Yolei stammered, glancing nervously at the dark computer screen.

Luckily the message had disappeared before either Kari or Cody had seen it, and neither one of them seemed to be aware of the sudden tension in the room.

_For now, at least._

T.K. let out a small sigh of relief, and reaching out he gave Yolei's hand a grateful squeeze. Whether Kari and Cody noticed the exchange he couldn't tell, though he was pretty sure Kari had spotted him grabbing Yolei's hand, even if she hadn't noticed the tension.

_Oh well, it could have been worse..._

To his surprise, Yolei suddenly smiled back at him, but the look in her eyes clearly stated he owed her big time for going along with his plan.

"Are we ready to go?" Cody asked.

T.K. suddenly realized the younger boy was watching him closely, and he felt his face turn red. _Maybe they noticed after all..._

Cody must have sensed something because he sent Yolei a rather suspicious look and frowned at the computer. Surprisingly, despite the look she had given Yolei's hand, Kari was the exact opposite of Cody. She had never even batted an eyelash at Yolei's sudden strange behaviour, and the look she sent the lavender-haired Digidestined was filled with relief. "Thanks for waiting here all afternoon for us. If I'd known it was going to take me so long-"

"Don't worry about it," Yolei interrupted. "Davis said Willis didn't think they would get to Odaiba until around dinnertime. His plane was delayed, remember? It's not like we're late or anything. Sorry, T.K., you were wrong. I did pay attention to Davis' e-mail after all! Besides, we couldn't leave until Cody's kendo practice was over and the same goes for T.K.'s basketball meeting."

"I really am sorry about that," Cody said, glancing warily at Yolei.

Apparently the lavender-haired Digidestined had decided to give her tongue a rest for once because instead of shouting at Cody she wrapped her arm around Kari's slim waist in a hug and said, "It's almost dinnertime now. We'd better get going before the janitor or one of the teachers kicks us out of here."

"Don't worry, Yolei, Mr. Maruyama already left!" Kari laughed.

T.K. slowly followed his friends out the door, and glancing once more over his shoulder at the computer he frowned in confusion. It looked harmless enough, but he could not help wondering if maybe the Digital World was not as peaceful as it appeared to be after all...


	4. Behind the Mask

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Finally another chapter! Alright, I'll admit it. I lied earlier. There will be some coupling in this story (mostly Takari), but it's only because of something that happens further on in the story. Again, it will NOT be a major theme because the story does focus mostly on friendship. I apologize to all non-Takari fans. (I tried, really I did, but somehow it always sneaks its way in there and I don't even realize it until I read back, and of course by then it's already too late.) I have a feeling some of you won't like this chapter, but please give it a chance. I haven't even remotely started the next chapter, but I will let you all know when another update is around the corner. The next chapter will be in Willis' POV again. Also, I haven't seen the movie in a few years, and I only saw the English version which is quite different so I apologize for any bloopers ahead of time. Thanks!

Trinity

Chapter 3: Behind the Mask

_Kari_

Kari Kamiya started down the sidewalk towards the Motomiya residence with her friends, and biting her lower lip she glanced uneasily at T.K. and Yolei. They were hiding something from her, and from Cody, as well. She could tell just from the guilty looks on their faces. T.K. was a terrible liar, and most of the time Yolei wasn't much better. It was obvious both of them did not think she had noticed their strange behaviour, but she had, and she was starting to feel a little nervous about what she had seen.

_Why did Yolei suddenly turn off the computer as soon as Cody and I entered the room, and why doesn't she want anyone, other than T.K., to know exactly what it was she was looking at?_

Although she did not really want to admit it, it hurt a lot to be excluded from whatever was going on between her two closest friends. T.K. and Yolei were two of the most important people in the world to her, and it made her feel a little sad to think there was a chance they felt uncomfortable about telling her what was on their minds.

_Don't they trust me anymore?_

"I hope Willis likes it here in Japan," Yolei suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced at her best friend, and wrapping her arms around herself in a tight hug she let out a soft sigh. The lavender-haired Digidestined had her arm around T.K.'s waist, and every so often she would send the blond a reassuring smile. It did not seem to help much, though, because T.K. still looked uneasy about something.

_She makes it look so easy. If only..._

Another sigh escaped her lips, and lowering her amber eyes to the ground she silently shook her head. There were times when she wished she could be as bold as Yolei, but unfortunately she had always been more reserved than her best friend and it was hard for her to let the others see what she was feeling inside. In some ways, she was a lot like Matt, although no one, not even her older brother, had ever managed to work up the courage yet to say it to her face. T.K. and Yolei were the complete opposite of her. They usually had no trouble telling the whole world what was on their minds, and that was one of the reasons why she admired them so much. Yolei was her inspiration, but with T.K. there was something more.

She glanced at the golden-haired Digidestined's face and shaking her head she smiled sadly to herself. The two of them had been friends for a long time, and over the last four years she had come to realize just how much she cared about him. At one point she had thought he might feel the same way, but during the last couple of years especially he had given no indication how he felt either way, and she was starting to wonder if maybe he had decided she wasn't worth it after all.

_Either that or he never had feelings for me in the first place._

Even if there had been a time when he had felt something for her, that certainly did not appear to be the case now, and she was pretty sure it was her own fault. How many times had he told her to believe in herself, and she had failed to listen to him? It wasn't until Yolei had given her a good, hard slap in the face that she had finally started to understand what he had been trying to tell her. No wonder he had given up on her. She had not meant to push him away, but the thought of how much she had taken his help for granted had left her feeling sick to her stomach. He had always tried to help her when she was suffering, but she had never really been there for him when it had truly counted. She knew T.K. understood why she had DNA digivolved with Yolei, and both of them were happy with their partners. After all, DNA digivolution had nothing to do with romance. It was about friendship, and that was why it had brought each of them closer to someone they had not considered to be particularly special to them in the past. T.K. was not upset about the fact that she had not DNA digivolved with him, even though they were good friends. It was more than that, and she was sure it had something to do with the fact that she had been unable to trust him. After everything that had happened, he had still been friendly to her and had treated her with respect, but during the last couple of years he had started to drift away from her. Even Davis had noticed, and the goggle-headed leader had made no effort to hide his surprise.

_I bet T.K.'s upset because I doubted his friendship. It can't be because he might actually have feelings for me. He probably thinks I'm nothing but a waste of time. I'd feel the same way, if I were him. How could I have been so stupid? I know I'm strong. I think I knew it back then, too, but I was too blind to see the truth. No wonder he didn't have a problem kissing Catherine when he and Tai were in France. I know it was only a kiss on the cheek, but still..._

She did not really believe T.K. might have wanted to kiss her over Catherine, but she still could not help wondering if there had been a chance of that at one time. Tai had told her all about what he and T.K. had been doing in France, and she had been shocked, to say the least. T.K.'s actions had hurt her, but she had not been angry with him. After all, she had no claim to him, and he was free to do what he wanted. She was angry at herself for pushing him aside when he had tried so hard to help her. Back then she had not known what her feelings meant, but she did now, and what upset her the most was the fact that it did not matter. It had taken her too long to figure out what was in her heart, and now she was paying for her mistakes. She had never said a word to T.K. about Catherine, although she had scolded Tai rather harshly for using Catherine as a way to drown his sorrows about Sora. Sora had been dating Matt at the time, but the older female did not really know who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with so she had chosen to remain single until her heart had a chance to figure out what it really wanted. At the moment she was still single and enjoying life until she was ready to settle down with someone. Whether that person was Tai, Matt, or another guy entirely remained to be seen.

_Maybe I should consider doing the same thing._

As much as T.K.'s actions had surprised her, she did not hate Catherine. Quite the opposite, actually. Although she had never met the other girl, they had exchanged many e-mails over the years, and she sincerely liked the golden-haired female. She was not a jealous person. There was nothing to be jealous about. It was only a kiss on the cheek. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself. Even if there was more to it than that she still would not be jealous. In fact, she admired Catherine for her ability to capture the hearts of everyone around her without attempting to lead people on and lowering herself to the behaviour of some girls out there. T.K. and Matt had gone to visit their grandparents in France just before school had started, and she could not help wondering if they had seen Catherine.

France. The land of romance.

_Okay, now I'm depressing myself. I'd better cheer up quick because I don't want Willis to think I'm not happy to see him._

"Um...Kari? Are you okay? You seem pretty quiet all of a sudden."

Kari jumped at the sound of Yolei's voice, and lifting her head she blushed when she realized all three of her friends were staring at her. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" T.K. asked, watching her closely.

Kari felt her face turn an even darker shade of red, and nodding her head she quickly looked back down at the ground again. Although she did not want to admit it to her friends, she was actually a little nervous about meeting up with Willis. She knew Yolei had kept in touch with the American Digidestined over the past four years, but she, unfortunately, had not. They had exchanged less than a dozen e-mails since the day they had met each other in New York, and although she had no clue why they had not tried a little harder to keep in touch, she had a feeling it was partly her fault.

_Could it be because of what had happened when T.K. and I first met him?_

She could still remember the moment when she had first laid eyes on the American Digidestined, and the look on his face was something she seemed unable to forget. She and T.K. had been standing on the other side of the fence from him, and the look in his eyes had been filled with surprise...and something else. As soon as he had looked at her, she had felt as if she were somehow connected to him. It was the same feeling she often got when she was around T.K., and judging by the look on the American Digidestined's face, he had felt the same way about her. It was hard to explain, but for some reason she had a feeling he would one day become very important to her, and she was pretty sure T.K. felt the same way. Her golden-haired friend had never said anything to her, but she had seen the look on his face when he had first spotted Willis standing on the other side of the fence. He must have felt the same kind of connection to Willis that she had felt. She had seen the American Digidestined give T.K. the same kind of look he had given her, and that was why she was pretty sure it had been something all three of them had shared.

_But if that's the case then why hasn't T.K. said anything to me about the incident in New York? The day we first spotted Willis?_

They usually had no trouble telling each other what was on their minds, so why had T.K. suddenly decided to start keeping secrets from her?

_And what about Yolei?_

T.K. was obviously hiding several things from her, but Yolei had a secret now, as well, and she had a feeling it was definitely something they all needed to be aware of.

"Hey, isn't that Ken up ahead?" Cody asked, pointing to a lone figure walking slowly down the street.

Kari glanced at the raven-haired boy, and realizing Cody was right she nodded in agreement. They were almost at the Motomiya residence, and it was obvious Ken was trying to sort out his thoughts before he had to face the American Digidestined in person. Unfortunately, the look on his face was not exactly encouraging, and Kari had a feeling his loyalty to Davis was the only thing stopping him from running in the other direction.

T.K. must have come to the same conclusion because he quickly hurried over to Ken's side and wrapped his arm around the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulders. "Hey, Ken, how are you doing?"

Ken managed a weak smile, and anxiously twisting his hands together he quickly lowered his eyes to the ground. "I'm okay, I guess. Um...I'm glad you guys are here."

"Don't worry, Ken, Willis is going to love you. You're an awesome friend, and he knows the Emperor thing wasn't your fault," Yolei insisted, giving the raven-haired Digidestined an encouraging hug.

Ken blushed, and closing his eyes he buried his face against Yolei's shoulder. At the moment, the former Emperor was wearing black pants and a long-sleeved, dark blue shirt, and Kari's opinion it was nice to see him wear something other than grey for once. The shirt matched the colour of his eyes and it made his dark blue gaze stand out against his pale skin. As the Emperor, he had always worn a pair of sunglasses that had prevented them from seeing his eyes, and as a result they had been unable to see the amount of pain he had been trying so hard to hide from everyone around him. That was no longer the case anymore. They were now able to see every emotion reflected in his gaze, and whenever his eyes began to fill with deep sorrow and pain, there was always someone there to comfort him and make things better again. Ken was obviously relieved to see them, and Kari could tell he was very grateful he did not have to face Willis all by himself.

"Ken, Davis was the one who told Willis all about your past. Do you really think he would have made you look like a bad person?" Cody asked quietly.

Ken let out a soft gasp, and looking up in surprise he quickly shook his head. "No, of course not! I...it's just...hard. I mean...I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that you guys actually want to be my friends after everything I've done. I wouldn't blame Willis for not wanting to get to know me. He wasn't there like you guys were. How is he supposed to understand what happened?"

"He does understand," T.K. said gently, gazing sympathetically into the former Emperor's eyes. "Willis is a Digidestined, after all, and he knows just how strong the Powers of Darkness can really be. Don't you remember what happened to Kokomon? I know Davis told you all about the incident with Cherubimon."

Ken nodded slowly and a sad smile slipped across his face. "You're right, T.K. I hadn't thought of that. Thank you. Your words...they mean a lot to me."

"Well, I could have told you the same thing!" Yolei sniffed. "Why do guys always have to be so difficult all the time? No wonder it takes them so long to clue into the fact that friendship isn't supposed to be as complicated as brain surgery! They always have to make a big dramatic production out of everything! Girls are much more sensible. We tell each other we want to be friends, and that's that. Honestly, why do I even bother? No one listens to me anyway!"

"You said it!" T.K. laughed.

Yolei glared at the golden-haired Digidestined, and Kari smiled sadly to herself. _You're wrong, Yolei. It isn't always easy for girls to make friends either. I know that better than anyone._

It had never been easy for her to get to know other people because unfortunately she was normally a pretty quiet person, and she was sure that was one of the reasons why Willis seemed so uneasy around her. Yes, he had cheerfully kissed her cheek when they had parted ways back in Colorado, but she was pretty sure the only reason he had come anywhere near her was because he had been hoping to get a reaction out of Davis. Willis could be mischievous when he wanted to be, but most of the time he was quite shy and reserved.

"Boys," Yolei muttered, wrinkling her nose.

T.K. whispered something in Ken's ear, and the former Emperor smiled shyly at the golden-haired Digidestined. The two of them had become good friends over the last four years, and as a result Ken had become much more comfortable in T.K.'s presence. Surprisingly enough, Davis was the one who had encouraged Ken to strengthen his friendship with T.K., and Cody, as well, and as a result the four of them had become very close. Even T.K. and Davis did not fight nearly as often as they used to. Yolei had been especially shocked by that particular change.

"Come on, guys, let's get going before Davis starts to wonder what's happened to us," Cody said, motioning for them to hurry up.

Kari slowly followed the others towards the Motomiya residence and glancing at Yolei out the corner of her eye she made a face, which thankfully the lavender-haired Digidestined didn't appear to notice. _ I wonder if whatever Yolei and T.K. are hiding has something to do with Willis..._

She did not know for sure whether or not the American Digidestined had felt the same things she had felt when they were in New York, but she was determined to find out, and somehow she had to find out what was going on with T.K. and Yolei, too, because she had a feeling their secret was going to end up causing a lot of trouble, especially if it had something to do with the Powers of Darkness...


	5. Sixth Sense

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: It took me long enough, but I've finally got another chapter for this story. Again, I had to do a bit of research so I apologize if I have any information wrong concerning the time change, etc. Also, once again this is based off of the North American version of the movie. Remember that when I happen to mention something that happened back then. I'm not sure when I'll start the next chapter, but I will post a note on my forum when I do. Enjoy!

Trinity

Chapter 4: Sixth Sense

_Willis_

"Davis, your friends are here. I'm sure Willis is anxious to see them again, even if you're not, so you'd better hurry up and get in here!"

Willis jumped at the sound of Mrs. Motomiya's voice, and almost immediately his heart began to pound frantically in his chest. He did not know why he felt so nervous all of a sudden, but he had a feeling it might have something to do with the fact that he was meeting Ken for the first time, and then there was also the fact that he could no longer avoid reuniting with Kari and T.K. again...

_It's not that I don't want to see them after all this time. I do. In fact, I've never wanted to see them so badly before in my life. It's just..._

"Davis, are you coming?"

Davis let out a loud groan, and rolling over onto his back he flung an arm over his dark eyes in what was clearly a useless attempt to block out his mother's words, especially considering the fact that the goggle-headed leader could still hear her. The two of them had decided to wait in Davis' room for the others to arrive, and now that their friends were finally here, Davis was making no attempt to move from where he lay sprawled on his back in the middle of the bed. Willis sat next to his friend's feet with his laptop cradled in his arms, and the expression on Davis' face made him smile. He knew exactly how the goggle-headed leader felt. It had been a long day for him, as well, and his weariness was starting to catch up to him.

"Davis!"

"Tell them to come in here! I'm not going to walk all the way out there for nothing!"

_What about supper? There's no way he could have forgotten about the food!_

Willis set his laptop aside and raising his eyebrows he said, "You had better hope Yolei didn't hear you!"

"We're all going to end up back in my room anyways, after everyone's had a chance to say hi, so we might as well save ourselves a trip and let them come to us!"

_But...the food! We have to go out there anyways in order to eat!_

A moment later Yolei burst into the room, followed by the others, and crossing her arms over her chest she sent Davis a look of absolute disgust. "You lazy oaf! If this is how you treat all the guests in your house-"

"Do you want to see Willis again or not?" Davis interrupted.

Yolei glared at the goggle-headed leader, and muttering to herself she placed her hands on her hips. "Of course I do! And you'd better be treating him with more respect than what you've shown us so far, or else!"

"Or else what?"

Willis chose that opportunity to study the rest of the Digidestined and his eyes immediately came to rest on a dark-haired boy standing near the back of the group about a foot away from the others. _It's him. Ken Ichijouji. The former Digimon Emperor._

He had never seen the much talked about boy genius before because Ken's rise to stardom had not spread very far outside of Japan. His fame had certainly never reached North America, but despite that, Willis knew the sad-eyed boy standing before him could not possibly be anyone else.

_I've never even had a chance to see a picture of him because Kari's the one who does all the photography work, and since I haven't really kept in touch with her over the past four years..._

He could have asked one of the others for a picture, since Kari usually made copies for everyone, but for some reason he had never thought of that before, and it was obvious his friends hadn't either.

_It's amazing really just how much we humans take for granted..._

"Willis! It's so good to see you again! How are you doing?" Yolei suddenly squealed, leaping forward and throwing herself in his arms. He managed to grab her around the waist before she could trample him and he blinked in surprise at the rather unexpected enthusiastic response to his presence. He had been hoping the others would be glad to see him, but Yolei's warm welcome went above and beyond his expectations.

_Not that I'm complaining. It's kind of nice to be surrounded by so many people who want to see me. _

His pale blue gaze came to rest first on T.K. and then Kari, and the blank looks on their faces made him wince. _Well...almost everyone..._

"You must be really exhausted from all the travelling you've done today. If Davis starts to get on your nerves tonight, just let me know and I'll set him straight. So tell me, how do you like Japan so far?"

Willis gave his lavender-haired friend a quick hug, and pulling back he plastered what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face. "It's completely different from what I'm used to, but I'm sure I'll survive. Actually, I've had a really great time so far, thanks to Davis, and hopefully things will only get better as the year goes on. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. My plane was supposed to arrive around noon, your time, but there was a delay because, unlike you guys, we're not having such great weather back in Colorado at the moment. I sent Davis an e-mail this morning to let him know, but he didn't bother to check his D-Terminal until after he'd been pulled out of school at about a quarter to ten. Rather convenient timing, don't you think? It took me a while, but I finally got him to admit he'd forgotten to look. And to top it off, he didn't even bother to e-mail me back and let me know his parents already knew I was going to be late! It would have been nice if he had let me know approximately what time he and his parents were planning to show up!"

"I bet his parents told him to e-mail you back with an approximate time and he forgot!" Yolei muttered.

"Shut up, Yolei! I don't know why my parents even bothered to send me to school in the first place. I wasn't even there very long!" Davis snorted.

"Probably to keep you out of trouble," Cody muttered.

Davis glared at the younger boy, but Yolei elbowed him in the ribs before he could say anything, and the goggle-headed leader lapsed into a sullen silence. "Thanks a lot, Davis! I should have known there was a reason why you took your sweet time informing the rest of us about the fact that Willis was going to be late today!"

"Like you've never forgotten anything before! Besides, like Willis said earlier, my parents already knew his plane was going to be late and they still pulled me out of school anyways because they had a lot of stuff to do to get ready for our friend's arrival, and they wanted me to help. See? There you go. I wasn't trying to get out of school early! Actually, Willis, my mom checked the weather station this morning before I even left for school to see if you would have a good flight, and when she saw what the weather was like in Colorado, she called the airline to find out what was going on. She had a feeling your plane would be delayed, and they told her the same thing you told me. In the end, it wouldn't have mattered if I'd checked my D-Terminal or not. We already knew."

"Whatever, Davis!"

"I guess Davis must have arrived at the airport just as we were getting out of school," Cody said slowly.

"That's right. Davis and his parents weren't exactly sure when to show up, although I did mention my plane would be arriving no later than half past three, and the airline told Mrs. Motomiya approximately the same thing. It took us about two hours to get to Odaiba, and now I can barely keep my eyes open. It's about a twelve hour flight from Denver, Colorado to Tokyo, Japan, and with the sixteen hour time difference on top of everything else, it's enough to make anyone feel extremely tired!"

"I'll bet," Yolei replied, giving him a warm smile. "You're probably really hungry, too. It's a good thing we'll be eating soon. I can't believe it's five-thirty already. Don't worry, Willis, you have nothing to be sorry for. You can't blame yourself for bad weather. Besides, it's actually a good thing your plane was late otherwise we wouldn't have been able to come and see you right away. T.K. got stuck going to a basketball meeting, and Cody had kendo practice. Oh, and then there's Kari. She-"

"We're really sorry," Cody interrupted, looking embarrassed. "It's not that we didn't want to come and see you. It's just..."

Willis wrapped his arm around the younger boy's shoulders and smiling he quickly shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You guys are here, and that's what matters. I completely understand. We're all really busy, and I wouldn't have wanted you guys to miss out on anything right at the beginning of the school year. Besides, if I had arrived on time, you guys still would have been in school, for part of the time anyway, so either way you wouldn't have had a chance to visit me right away. It's good to see you again, Cody."

"You, too. I'm glad your parents finally decided to let you come and visit us."

"Same here."

"I hope you'll let me take a lot of pictures. I want to remember this year because I think it's going to be filled with a lot of good memories," Kari suddenly interrupted.

Willis took a deep breath and he turned slowly to gaze uneasily at the female Digidestined, whose sudden words had caused the entire room to fall silent. Kari Kamiya's medium-length brown hair was held back on one side by a pink clip, and she was wearing pink long-sleeved, fingerless gloves, a pink shirt, and a short, white skirt. Her feet were slipped into bright pink sandals, and as usual she wore her digital camera on a cord around her neck.

"Well? Aren't you going to say hello?" Yolei demanded, nudging him in the ribs and pushing him forward. He stumbled and quickly wrapped his arms around Kari to stop himself from falling, and a gasp escaped his throat when he felt the younger female wrap her arms around his neck.

"Four years is a long time to spend without your friends," she said softly in his ear.

_She actually still considers me to be her friend? What about T.K.?_

Willis turned to look at the golden-haired Digidestined and he blushed when he realized T.K. looked a little amused about something. The blond raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, and a small smile slipped across his face. "Hey, Willis. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding us. Welcome to Odaiba. I'm sure you'll get used to this place after a while, but if I were you I wouldn't wait another four years to come and see us again otherwise we'll be coming to see you. Davis and Yolei will make sure of that!"

"You'd better listen to T.K. Yolei's scary when she's angry," Davis smirked.

Yolei chose to ignore the goggle-headed leader, and smiling she proceeded to make herself comfortable on the edge of the bed. "Oh, Willis, that reminds me. Izzy told me to tell you he said hi. He wants to see you, but unfortunately he couldn't make it today because of school and other commitments. He's as bad as Joe!"

Willis quickly squirmed away from Kari, and scratching the back of his head he stared at the lavender-haired Digidestined in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, with Joe in medical school and Izzy in university, it's almost impossible to drag those two away from their studies anymore. Don't worry, though, Izzy's going to come with us when we go to the Digital World tomorrow."

"The...Digital World?"

"You do want to see Terriermon and Lopmon again, don't you?" T.K. asked quietly.

Willis quickly averted his eyes from the golden-haired Digidestined, and blushing slightly he slowly nodded his head. Under normal circumstances, only the D-3 Digivices could open the gates to the Digital World, and as a result he had not seen Terriermon and Lopmon in four years. The original Digivices, like the one he had, could still open the gates occasionally, but that usually only happened during special occasions. The fight to save the Digital World from MaloMyotismon was one of those circumstances. He had been there, but unfortunately there had been so many Digidestined hanging around that he had not even had a chance to see Davis, Ken, or any of the others, let alone speak to them.

_Terriermon. Lopmon..._

His digimon were another reason why he had wanted to come to Japan so badly. He had known Davis and the others still travelled to the Digital World, and as much as he was embarrassed to admit it, he had been hoping they would take him with. Yolei's words just made his dream come true.

_I get to see my friends and my digimon again. Could this day get any better?_

"Well?" T.K. asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Willis glanced suspiciously at the golden-haired Digidestined, and shrugging his shoulders he turned slowly to look at Kari. The two of them were gazing at him with absolutely no emotion in their eyes, and the serene expressions on their faces made him wince.

_Why do I always feel so awkward around them? I bet they never even felt anything when they first saw me in New York. It was probably just my imagination, but if that's the case then why do they always make me feel so...strange? They had to have felt it. It was so strong. It was like there was this connection between the three of us, and there's no way they couldn't have noticed it. Either that or I'm losing my mind. They probably think I'm a total nutcase. No wonder they step lightly around me and act as if I have the plague or something._

He did not know what his feelings meant, but he knew he wanted to find out, and yet, at the same time, they made him feel extremely uneasy, and as much as he hated to admit it, there were times when he just wished the two of them would stay out of his head. That way he could just ignore whatever it was that was causing him to treat two of his fellow Digidestined like complete strangers.

_If only they would say something about New York. If they did, then maybe I wouldn't feel so stupid..._

"Willis, are you alright?" Kari asked gently.

Willis blushed, and lowering his eyes to the ground he quickly turned away from his two friends. "I'm fine, and yes, I can't wait to see Terriermon and Lopmon. Izzy, too."

_That's one thing I have to say for my digimon. They always know how to cheer me up._

"I guess the plane ride affected you more than you thought it did," T.K. said cheerfully.

_Is he making fun of me?_

Willis studied the golden-haired Digidestined with a frown on his face, and nervously biting his lower lip he quickly shoved his hands into the pockets of his grey pants. T.K. was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, with a white stripe across the chest, and a pair of light blue jeans. The hat on his head had disappeared sometime in the last four years, and every so often he would brush his golden hair out of his eyes in an effort to see better. "Is something wrong, Willis?"

"No. I...nothing. It's nothing."

"Really? I used to say the same thing, but it was always a lie," Ken said quietly, almost to himself.

Willis stared at the former Emperor in surprise, and Ken clapped a hand over his mouth when he realized he had spoken the words out loud instead of inside his head.

Davis, being the loyal friend that he was, quickly slid off the bed and wrapped his arm protectively around the raven-haired Digidestined's shoulders. "Willis, this is-"

"Ken Ichijouji. The former Digimon Emperor."

Ken flinched at the reminder of his past, and blushing a deep shade of red he gazed miserably at his feet. The look on his face clearly stated how ashamed he was of the things he had done as the Emperor, and it was obvious he wished he could just forget that part of his life.

_Then again, maybe he doesn't want to forget. How can we learn from our mistakes if we cease to remember them?_

Willis slowly stepped forward and without a single ounce of hesitation he held out his hand. Ken stared at it as if it were a poisonous snake ready to strike, and after a brief hesitation, he felt the former Emperor's pale fingers close tightly around his own. "Hey, Ken. I've been waiting a long time for a chance to meet you. Davis has told me so much about what you went through. I feel as if we know each other already."

Ken's mouth dropped open in surprise, and his whole face turned bright pink. "Really? I..."

Willis leaned close and beaming at the raven-haired Digidestined he whispered, "I made mistakes, too, Ken. We all do, but it doesn't matter as long as we learn from them."

He felt Ken's whole body begin to tremble, and the raven-haired Digidestined quickly let go of his hand. "You mean...you don't...um..."

"Davis and the others were obviously able to see something in you that you weren't able to see in yourself. If they can do that, then so can I."

"Willis..."

_How can I hate you when I could have ended up causing just as much trouble as you did? Cherubimon...How many innocent digimon, and humans for that matter, could have died because of me?_

Willis glanced at T.K. and he frowned at the rather sad expression on the golden-haired Digidestined's face. Kari looked a little upset, as well, and yet neither one of them appeared to have noticed the other's expression. Both of them were staring at Ken, and although they were obviously happy for him, Willis had a feeling neither one of them was too thrilled about being dismissed so easily. It was almost as if they wished they could be in Ken's place...

_Either that or I'm letting my imagination run away with me again. I've really got to stop doing that._

"Davis! You and the others had better get in here before the food gets cold again!" Mrs. Motomiya shouted down the hallway.

Willis rolled his eyes at the interruption, and reluctantly he pulled away from the former Emperor. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Ken's whole face lit up, and the raven-haired Digidestined's dark blue eyes began to sparkle with sudden happiness. "I look forward to it. And...um...thank you. I should have listened to Cody and T.K. They're hardly ever wrong."

_T.K.? Wait a minute! Does that mean..._

Willis laughed and gave the former Emperor a gentle shove, to get him moving, and quickly they headed towards the door. He could feel T.K.'s and Kari's eyes on his back, but he did not dare turn around to see if they were actually watching him. At the moment, he preferred not to know, especially considering the fact that he was pretty sure he would have plenty of opportunities in the future to find out. Besides, there was something else bugging him about T.K. None of the others appeared to have noticed the flash of uneasiness that had flickered across the golden-haired Digidestined's face when Yolei had mentioned the Digital World, but he had, and he was going to find out what it meant, even if it killed him. It had been so quick, he could not help wondering if maybe he had just imagined it, but deep down inside he knew he hadn't. T.K. was hiding something, and he was going to find out what it was before it could ruin his chances of fixing his friendship with not only T.K., but possibly Kari, as well.


	6. Yolei Takes a Chance

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Well, I apologize for how long it took me to update this story, but I am going to try to concentrate on it a bit more, though I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I have to change a few things in the plot and work out some minor details, so we'll see how it goes. Also, I apologize for how short it is, but after my last FTFOD chapter, I needed to write something nice and short. Also, the computer was infected with a major black trojan virus, and the whole thing nearly crashed. We manged to save it, so you guys are lucky just to be getting this chapter! As usual, enjoy! Oh, and remember to check my forum for updates concerning this story!

Chapter 5: Yolei Takes a Chance

_T.K. Takaishi_

T.K. waited until Willis and the others had left the room before reaching out and grabbing Yolei by the sleeve of her white shirt. Before the lavender-haired Digidestined could protest, he pulled her back towards the bed and he glanced anxiously over his shoulder to see if any of the others had noticed his sudden strange behaviour. Thankfully, nobody came back to look for either him or Yolei, and although he tried to suppress it, he could not help letting out a small sigh of relief.

_I bet they're all too busy pestering Willis to notice Yolei and I have gone missing. _

"T.K., what's wrong?" Yolei asked, staring at him in surprise. "No offence, but you've been acting like a total nutcase ever since we left the computer room."

_Typical Yolei. With the way she acts, you'd think I didn't have a good reason for being a little nervous!_

"Come on, T.K., what are you so worried about?"

T.K. crossed his arms, and shaking his head he let out a deep sigh. "Yolei, do you really think it's a good idea to bring Willis to the Digital World?"

Yolei stared at him as if he were crazy, and frowning she placed her hands on her hips, her glasses slipping dangerously close to the edge of her nose. "Of course it is! I worked everything out with Hawkmon over the computer yesterday. Veemon went to round up Terriermon and Lopmon, so the two of them should be waiting for us with our partners on File Island tomorrow. I told Hawkmon we would meet up with them by the gate on the outskirts of Primary Village."

"That's not what I meant! Oh, forget it. By the way, you could have informed the rest of us about your little plan to go to the Digital World tomorrow. Lucky for you Davis and the others took it all in stride. What if one of them had already made other plans?"

Yolei smiled sheepishly at him and shrugging her shoulders she said, "I wanted it to be a surprise for Willis. I'm sure he's really anxious to see his digimon again. Four years is a long time to spend without your digimon partner, or in Willis' case, both of his partners. You know that better than anyone. I knew if I told you guys what I was planning, one of you, probably Davis, would have told Willis and it would have ended up ruining my surprise. Besides, I knew none of you guys would have made any plans for tomorrow that didn't involve Willis, and since Willis is a Digidestined, I figured no one would object to going to the Digital World as soon as possible."

"Yolei..."

Yolei studied his face for a moment, and smiling slightly she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're still worried about that e-mail, aren't you."

_Of course I am! The Digital World could be dangerous right now. What if someone ends up getting hurt? If that happens, it'll be my fault for convincing Yolei to keep that strange e-mail a secret..._

T.K. slowly sat down on the edge of Davis' bed, and letting out a deep sigh he quickly put his head in his hands, trying unsuccessfully to hide the fear in his eyes. "Yolei, I don't know what to do. We could be walking into a huge trap or something. There's no telling what might be waiting for us in the Digital World, and I really don't think it's fair for us to get Willis involved in something he never asked to be a part of."

"T.K., if there is something going on in the Digital World, Willis will want to help us. You know he will."

_Exactly. Well, there goes any chance I ever had of trying to strengthen my friendship with Willis. Why would he want to waste his time with me when the Digital World is in trouble? I just can't believe it. Willis even gets along better with Ken than he does with me, and he only met Ken less than an hour ago! Am I really that hard to get to know? Am I really that hard to be friends with? I know Davis and I used to fight a lot, but..._

T.K. slowly lowered his hands, and resting his arms on his knees he gazed miserably at his feet. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been unable to stop himself from feeling just a little bit envious of Ken and the way Willis had accepted the former Emperor so easily. At that moment, he would have given anything to be in Ken's place, but unfortunately he was still stuck on the sidelines while everyone else's relationships with Willis only seemed to be getting stronger.

_Well, everyone except Kari..._

T.K. frowned at the thought of his female friend, and gazing silently at his hands, he proceeded to brood in silence, his deep blue eyes growing suddenly dark and distant. Kari was another mystery entirely. Although the dark-haired female seemed genuinely fond of Willis, for some reason she did not appear to be in any kind of a rush to get close to him. It was almost as if she was afraid the American Digidestined would push her away. And then there was the emotion hiding just beneath the surface of her dark eyes every time she glanced at Willis that made it seem as if she could sense something about the American Digidestined that the rest of them were unable to feel or understand.

_Could it be? When I first laid eyes on Willis, I couldn't help feeling as if there was this strange connection between us. The feeling was so strong and so powerful, it was almost overwhelming. Could Kari have possibly felt the same thing? _

Now that he thought about it, the strength of the connection he had experienced with Willis felt a lot like the bond he shared with Kari. Even Azulongmon had mentioned something about him, or more accurately his crest, being different from the others besides Kari's, and yet something about Willis felt...the same.

_Kari must have felt something for Willis, just like I did. There's no other explanation that would make sense. If I'm right and Kari really did feel a connection to Willis, then I can't really blame her for keeping her distance. Haven't I been doing the same thing for the last four years? Now that I think about it, that could be the reason why Willis and I didn't keep in touch after our battle with Cherubimon. The three of us must share something important, but if that's the case then what could it possibly be? And if both Kari and I can feel it, then does that mean that Willis can feel it, too? It's not just me. I realize that now. Willis has been acting distant towards Kari, too. What does it all mean?_

As much as his own thoughts confused him, there was definitely one thing he now had an answer for, and it was the kind of thing he could not ignore. Willis could feel something. He wasn't exactly sure what, but whatever it was, it was obviously something the American Digidestined wanted to ignore as much as possible.

_No wonder Kari's been so quiet lately. She must feel the exact same way I feel. I bet she wants to strengthen her friendship with Willis the same way I do. Maybe we could help each other. With the Digital World possibly in danger, it might be easier for us to get closer to Willis if we work together._

There was only one problem. Thinking about Kari always seemed to bring back too many painful memories, so he tried not to think about her as much as possible.

_Kari, why couldn't you see how much I care about you? Don't you trust me anymore? If you do, then why do you keep pushing me away?_

He wasn't exactly sure when he had started having feelings for her, but to him that did not matter. The important thing was the fact that they were there and they were more powerful than anything he had ever felt before. How was he supposed to just ignore them and move on with his life?

_I would do anything to help her save her friendship with Willis, and I know it sounds stupid but...what if she doesn't want to help me? Maybe it's not such a good idea to ask her for help after all..._

"T.K., listen to me. You want to know what's going on in the Digital World, don't you? Well, this is a perfect opportunity to find out. While Willis and the others are having fun with their digimon, you and I can start searching for some answers."

"Huh?" T.K. glanced at the lavender-haired Digidestined and making a face he said, "That's easy for you to say. How are we going to manage something like that without the others getting suspicious, and what happens if we find the kind of answer we don't really want to hear?"

Yolei sat down next to him on the bed, and letting out a sigh of her own she wrapped her arm around his shoulders in a friendly squeeze. "If there really is something going on, we'll have to tell the others, but if it turns out there isn't anything to worry about, then we can go on as if nothing had ever happened. There's no way we can keep a secret from Davis and the others if there was never any secret to begin with. You don't want to hurt their feelings for nothing, do you?"

" Whatever happened to your idea of telling the others whether there was something going on or not? You were the one who said we had to tell them eventually."

"I've changed my mind, but only if there's nothing going on. Well, T.K., do you want to hurt their feelings for nothing?"

"No, but I still feel really bad."

"Just remember, this was your idea to begin with. I feel bad, too, but Willis deserves to spend some time with his friends without any unnecessary interruptions. Just think, though, eventually we'll be able to tell them we thought there was something going on in the Digital World, but fortunately it turned out we were wrong. I know that will be kind of embarrassing, but I'm sure they'll forgive us. I think they'll mostly be glad the Digital World is safe."

"Back to your old plan again, or are you sticking with the new one? Sorry, Yolei, but you're starting to sound like me now."

Yolei raised her eyebrows, and pretending to be offended she poked him sharply in the chest. "Will you stop confusing me? Look, if the Digital World really is in danger we definitely have to tell the others. That's the important thing."

"Obviously, and I bet they're not going to be too happy with us when they find out we were trying to keep it a secret from them. I know, I know! It's my fault. You don't have to rub it in!"

"I didn't do anything!"

T.K. rolled his eyes, but instead of commenting on his female friend's all too innocent expression, he rested his chin in his hands and gazed thoughtfully at the carpet beneath his feet. "I think Cody suspects something."

"I know what you mean. He definitely seemed suspicious of us. You don' think he'll mention anything to Davis, do you? And what about Kari? I didn't think she noticed anything, but now I'm not so sure..."

"Who knows? Kari's not always an easy person to understand. It's hard to tell with her sometimes. She hides a lot more than even she believes."

T.K. felt Yolei's other arm slip around him in a tight hug, and with a sigh, he rested his cheek against her shoulder. He could feel her heart beating against his chest, and her sympathetic gesture of affection made him feel slightly better.

"T.K...um...is there something going on with you and Kari?"

T.K. managed a faint smile and slowly shaking his head he said, "No, that's the problem."

"Huh?"

"Listen, Yolei, we'd better get to the kitchen before Davis and the others start to wonder where we are. I really don't think we need to give them even more reasons to be suspicious of us."

"I guess. By the way, don't worry about tomorrow. I'll figure out a way to keep the others distracted long enough to give us a chance to poke around a little bit. I'm good at that sort of thing, in case you didn't notice. Just leave everything to me. We'll have our answers long before the others can figure out what we're really up to."

_Great, now I feel even more worried. Thanks a lot, Yolei._

T.K. slowly got to his feet, and making a face he motioned for Yolei to follow him towards the kitchen. The lavender-haired Digidestined stalked out of the room ahead of him, and he reluctantly trailed after her. _I wonder if maybe Izzy can help us. There's really no reason not to tell him, and we'd probably find our answers a lot quicker with him on our side. I doubt he would tell Davis what we're up to until it was absolutely necessary. I'll ask Yolei tomorrow and see what she thinks. I wish...I wish I could tell Willis. I bet he would be a great help, but for some reason I get the feeling he would have a hard time believing me..._

He had never really given Willis any reasons to trust him, and although he had no idea why, he could not help feeling as if that e-mail had something to do with the American Digidestined. If it did, then that made his efforts to strengthen his friendship with Willis even more important.

_Willis...how am I ever going to make you change your mind about me?_


	7. The Genius Has Spoken

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: See? I told you guys I haven't given up on this story! No clue when the next chapter will be, but I hope to be working on it sometime soon. Enjoy!

Trinity

Chapter Six: The Genius Has Spoken

_T.K. Takaishi_

At the sound of the final bell ringing in his ears, T.K. slowly began to pack up his books, but he just barely managed to cram them into his backpack before he was nearly trampled by Kari and Davis. Willis, who had just joined their math class, followed a bit more slowly behind the other two, and he looked like he was lost in thought.

"Well, are you guys ready to go?" Davis asked, holding up his clenched fist and nodding his head towards the door. "Izzy said he would meet us in the computer room, and Ken should be arriving at any moment. His dad is dropping him off, so luckily we won't have to spend time waiting for him to arrive on the bus or train."

"Thank goodness for that. The bus takes forever to arrive hear from Tamachi," Kari said pleasantly.

T.K. slowly looked up, and frowning he glanced uncertainly at Kari from beneath his golden eyelashes before turning to gaze at Willis. Unable to concentrate on the math lesson, he had spent the whole period watching his two friends, and the strange behaviour he had witnessed from both of them had left him feeling both confused and uncertain. In fact, he hadn't even needed to look in order to know that Willis had been watching him for most of the class. He had felt the other boy's eyes on him, and because of that, he had been unable to look away in time before Willis could catch him staring, but instead of lifting his spirits, the other boy's sudden interest in him had only left him feeling even more confused.

_It's almost like he knows, but that's...impossible. How would he be able to sense my feelings so easily? He can't possibly know I'm hiding something, can he? I mean, I'm not that obvious, am I? And what about Kari?_

His suspicions didn't explain why Willis had also been staring at Kari, as well as him, for almost the entire class.

_This must have something to do with what happened in New York. What else could be causing the three of us to act so uneasy around each other? Although with Kari and I, it's not the only thing..._

T.K. turned back to Kari and he blushed when he realized she was staring at him, her face expressionless. As much as he didn't want to admit it, both he and Willis hadn't been the only ones acting a little odd all through class. Kari had also spent a lot of time studying Willis from beneath her lashes, and every so often T.K. had felt her eyes come to rest on him. Her gaze had caused a series of shivers to race down his spine, but somehow he had managed not to give in to his urge to look directly into her eyes and blurt out how he felt about her to the entire class.

_I want to tell her how I feel, but I can't. What if she just throws it right back in my face?_

He didn't really believe Kari would do such a thing, she just wasn't that type of person, but that didn't really make him feel any better. More than likely she would express how sorry she was for being unable to return his feelings and then she would give him a big speech about how she hoped they could still be friends. Knowing Kari, she would be gentle and understanding about it, and in his opinion, that would be even worse than listening to her flat out reject him.

_This is all my fault. If only I wasn't such a coward, but how can I tell her how I feel when she acts like there's nothing going on between us? In the past, I thought there was a chance she might have feelings for me, but over the last four years, it's like her affection for me has completely disappeared. I was sure she could feel the electricity between us, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was only seeing what I wanted to see. As if I didn't have enough problems to deal with already. It was bad enough when Kari's lack of interest was the only thing on my mind, but with Willis now living in Japan for a year and the Digital World possibly in danger..._

Frowning sightly, T.K. quickly picked up his backpack and he brushed a hand across his eyes, feeling suddenly even more tired than he had been all morning. Last night, he had gotten absolutely no sleep whatsoever because despite his efforts to relax, he had been unable to stop himself from getting caught up in his dreams. Although he could not actually remember all of his dreams, there was one thing he knew they had all had in common. Every single one of them had been about Kari and Willis.

Despite having at least six or seven dreams, only one of them remained truly vivid in his mind. In that dream, he had been running from something, and Kari and Willis had been running on either side of him. All around them there had been nothing but darkness, and no matter how hard he had tried to squint, he had still been unable to make out what had been chasing them. He had thought that was how the dream would end, but instead both Kari and Willis had suddenly stumbled, and before he could help them or understand what was going on, both of them had been swallowed by the darkness. He had stood there all alone, hating himself for being unable to help his friends.

"How come the teachers never question Ken's presence in this school?" Willis asked curiously, turning to look at Davis. "He comes here all the time after school to go to the Digital World with you guys, as well as using his own computer, doesn't he? Don't they ever say anything to him?"

Davis shook his head, and rolling his eyes he let out a loud snort. "Are you kidding me? Ken's a famous boy genius. They don't care if he wanders through our school as long as they get his autograph. I even caught Mr. Maruyama trying to get his autograph one time, and he hates all students no matter what school they go to. Well, except Izzy."

"Davis, he's not that bad," Kari scolded.

"Tell that to Yolei, even she hates him. Don't worry, Willis, you'll meet him soon enough. Lucky for you you got Mrs. Sato for computer class. Since Izzy's a famous student here, and a straight A student at that, the teachers are always happy when he comes by for a visit. They never question his presence in our school either, so we have nothing to worry about. Hey, do you guys remember that time Mr. Maruyama tried to kick Tai out of our school?"

"The point is," Kari interrupted, ignoring the goggle-headed leader's protests, "if worst came to worst, we could always use one of our home computers for travelling to the Digital World, but then we'd have to be careful of our parents."

Willis shook his head and smiling in amusement he said, "Yeah, I can see how that could cause a problem."

"So, are we ready to go?" Davis asked. "We don't have all day, you know."

T.K. raised an eyebrow, and tilting his head to the side he gave the goggle-headed leader a faint smile. "You haven't even asked Willis how his first day went."

"Huh? Oh right!" Davis quickly adjusted the goggles on his head, his cheeks turning a faint shade of red, and turning to grin sheepishly at the American Digidestined he said, "Sorry, Willis. When it comes to the Digital World, I get a little bit carried away sometimes. It's good that the four of us have a lot of classes together. Everything went okay?"

Willis rolled his eyes, and placing a hand on Davis' shoulder he gave the goggle-headed leader a reassuring smile. "Everything is still so new, but I'm catching on real quick. It's really not so different from my school back in Colorado. The biggest change is learning all my lessons in Japanese and doing all my work in Japanese. Remind me again to thank Izzy for all his help. I've spent a lot of time trying to learn your language over the last four years and it hasn't been easy. I've been studying it on my own, and I even took a few courses on it outside of school, but Izzy was my main source of help."

"You can thank him yourself when we get to the computer room," Davis replied, his arm going around the American Digidestined's shoulders.

"Do you guys know what I like most about your school?" Willis mumbled softly.

"What?" Kari asked curiously, avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes.

"Everyone here is really nice."

"No kidding," Davis snorted, nodding his head towards a group of giggling girls who stood nearby. There were four of them, and they were all whispering to each other and fluttering their eyelashes at Willis.

"They can't stop talking about how cute you are," Kari murmured, a faint smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

T.K. turned to look at Willis and he smiled as the American Digidestined's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. Like Willis, T.K. was also blond and they both had blue eyes, but his hair was a bit darker than the American Digidestined's blond tresses, and his eyes were brighter, whereas Willis had pale blue eyes. Willis' hair was more of a pale blond, as well, and his skin tone was also a bit lighter. At the moment, the American Digidestined was dressed in gray pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, and he had a dark blue, short-sleeved polo shirt over top. He looked a little bit embarrassed, but despite the blush on his cheeks, T.K. could tell he was flattered by the compliment.

"Between you and T.K., there's way too much blond in this room," Davis joked. "They probably think T.K.'s taken, so now they're going after you. They used to act like that around him, too. Still do at times."

T.K. jerked his head up in surprise, and mouth hanging open he stared at Davis in astonishment. Thankfully the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes were focused on Kari, and as a result his expression of disbelief went unnoticed. Willis was also staring at Kari, but for some reason the female Digidestined seemed unable to look at either one of them. Instead, she turned to look at the group of giggling girls again, her eyes growing dark and shadowy, and even though Davis hadn't said anything hurtful or insulting, the tension in the air had become almost unbearable.

_I wonder what she's thinking about, and what's up with Davis? If he's thinking what I think he's thinking then why doesn't he sound the least bit upset? I wish he was right. If only I was taken, and not just by anyone..._

"Are you saying I'm not good enough for first choice?" Willis laughed, elbowing Davis lightly in the stomach. To T.K., the American Digidestined's sudden outburst sounded like a weak attempt to ease the tension hovering around their small group.

Davis snorted loudly and pushing Willis towards the door he said, "You know what I mean. Let's go before Yolei yells at us. She told me this morning she's already arranged everything with Hawkmon. Our digimon, including Lopmon and Terriermon, should be meeting up with us by the gate near Primary Village. Nice of her to tell us what's going on right at the last minute."

"I think she wanted our trip to the Digital World to be a surprise for Willis," Kari said in Yolei's defence, her sudden words causing the rest of them to jump.

"Did she really think I would ruin the surprise? She never gives me enough credit for anything," Davis muttered, recovering nicely.

_I need to talk to Yolei about Izzy, and if she thinks my idea is a good one then we need to reach Izzy before the others get to the computer room..._

Pulling on his backpack, T.K. quickly edged towards the door and giving his friends a rather weak smile he said, "Listen, guys, I need to drop a few things off at my locker before we go. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes, okay?"

Davis quickly nodded and waved him away. "Go on, I need to make a stop at my locker, too. What about you, Willis? Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure, lead the way."

"I'll come with you, too," Kari offered, moving towards the door.

T.K. felt a little hurt that she hadn't even bothered to look in his direction, let alone offer to come with him, but by the time he realized he had clearly been dismissed, she had already left the room. It really was for the best, since both he and Yolei had yet to tell her about that strange e-mail they had received the day before, but that didn't make him feel any better. A few awkward questions were worth spending time with Kari, weren't they?

Sighing in defeat, T.K. turned to leave in the opposite direction, but he had barely taken more than a step before someone suddenly grabbed his arm. Turning in surprise, he found himself gazing into Willis' sparkling blue eyes, and he just barely managed to swallow the gasp that was still threatening to escape from his mouth.

_What..._

"Why didn't _you _ask me how my first day went?" Willis asked quietly, his words becoming lost in the chatter of other students passing by them in the hallway.

T.K. stared at the American Digidestined, at a complete loss of what to say, but before he could even attempt to think up a reply, Willis suddenly turned away from him and disappeared into the crowd of students. Realizing he was standing there like an idiot staring stupidly after his friend, T.K. blushed and quickly headed off in the other direction, his blue gaze scanning the corridor for any sigh of Yolei. His thoughts were racing through his mind like wildfire, but despite all the questions he had, he could not seem to come up with any answers.

_What was that all about? He doesn't think I don't care enough to bother showing any interest in him, does he?_

There was no denying the truth, Willis was right. He could have asked his friend how things were going, but instead he had chosen to put Davis on the spot. It was strange, but for some reason he just couldn't seem to treat Willis the same way he treated all of his other friends.

_How can I call myself his friend when I refuse to act the way a friend should?_

Lost in his own thoughts, he almost didn't see Yolei coming towards him, and even with a split second warning, he still ended up crashing right into the lavender-haired Digidestined. "Ouch! T.K., will you watch where you're going? You stepped on my foot, and no offense, but you're pretty heavy for being so slim."

Ignoring his female friend's complaints, T.K. quickly pulled Yolei out of the crowd, and tugging on her arm he practically dragged her into an empty classroom, glancing around first to make sure no one was watching them. Closing the door behind him, he turned to look at her and frowning he crossed his arms over his chest, unsure of just how exactly to voice his concerns. "Listen, we don't have much time, but there's something I need to ask you. Do you think maybe we should tell Izzy about what's going on?"

Yolei stared at him, and without a word she slowly sat down on one of the desks, her expression unreadable. Pushing her glasses further up her nose, she gave him a searching look, and tugging thoughtfully on her long, lavender ponytail she said, "T.K., have you been thinking about this all day?"

"No!"

Yolei continued to stare at him and he felt his face turn red. "Well...actually, I've been thinking about it since yesterday evening. With Izzy's help, I'm sure we'll be able to figure out what's going on a lot sooner, and you know he won't give a way our secret unless he absolutely has to. He always manages to come up with a rational explanation for everything, and besides, I'd feel better knowing we have a voice of reason to rely on. There's really no reason not to tell him."

Yolei frowned thoughtfully at her knees for a moment and slowly nodded. "Well, you're right about one thing, we could definitely use his help. With Izzy on our side, we'll probably be able to figure out what's going on without too much difficulty. With just the two of us, I'm afraid we might not be able to find the answers we're looking for until it's already too late for them to be of any use."

"I don't know, Yolei, you're pretty smart."

Yolei smiled at him, and leaping quickly to her feet she said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go talk to Izzy."

"Yeah, if Davis and the others haven't managed to reach the computer room already."

"You know Davis. If we're lucky, he'll be wasting time like he usually does and he won't make it to the computer room for another ten minutes. Come on."

The two of them raced down the hallway, ignoring the students leaping out of their path, and they reached the computer room in record time. Gasping for breath, they scrambled through the doorway, nearly tripping over each other in their haste to talk to Izzy, and immediately they spotted the computer expert sitting at one of the computers near the window. Dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a long-sleeved orange shirt, and a brown vest, he had his head bent over the keyboard and he was staring at the keys as if trying to decipher some sort of a hidden message printed on them that he had only now just discovered. Davis and the others, including Ken, were nowhere to be seen.

"Izzy!" Yolei shrieked, throwing herself into a chair next to the computer expert and tugging frantically on his arm. "We need to talk to you."

T.K. nodded vigorously in agreement, and taking a seat on Izzy's other side he said, "It's really important."

"It's about the Digital World," Yolei whispered, her eyes flicking nervously towards the closed door.

Izzy glanced between the two of them in surprise and scratching his head in confusion he said dryly, "Not exactly the greeting I was expecting, but I should be used to not getting so much as a nice hello by now. What's going on?"

Yolei leaned over Izzy's arm, nearly knocking the computer expert out of his chair in the process, and without a word she proceeded to type something out on the keyboard. Almost immediately, the e-mail Yolei had received the day before appeared on the screen and she gestured for Izzy to read it. The computer expert quickly scanned the e-mail, his eyes growing wider with every line, and when he was finished, he sat there staring at the screen with his mouth hanging open.

"What do you think?" Yolei asked anxiously.

Izzy slowly turned to look at her, and leaning back in his chair he managed a weak smile. "Yolei, I think you'd better tell me everything you know so far."

"What we know isn't all that much more than what you know. T.K., why don't you tell him exactly what happened yesterday?"

T.K. let out a deep sigh, and frowning slightly he quickly told Izzy about how the strange e-mail had suddenly appeared in Yolei's inbox, catching both of them by surprise. Almost immediately, his heart felt lighter and without hesitation he finished his explanation by telling the computer expert all about their suspicions concerning the current state of the Digital World, and how it might not be so peaceful after all.

For a long moment, Izzy sat there in thoughtful silence, and just when T.K. was sure he wouldn't respond, the computer expert suddenly nodded his head and frowned at the computer screen. "As much as I don't want to admit it, I think you might be right about the Digital World possibly being in danger. That would explain why the gates are still open."

"What do you mean?" Yolei asked curiously.

T.K. glanced at the lavender-haired Digidestined and making a face he said, "Normally the gates to the Digital World only remain open if there's something threatening the balance of light and darkness that allows the Digital World's barriers to remain strong and impenetrable. You haven't forgotten already, have you?"

"Of course I haven't, it's just...the Digital World has been so peaceful over the last four years. I can't imagine how that could have possibly changed in just one day."

"Maybe it hasn't," Izzy murmured, almost to himself. "Maybe this is something that's been happening slowly over the last four years, but it's only now starting to have an impact on the Digital World. How else could the gates have remained open for so long?"

T.K. slowly nodded in agreement and glancing anxiously at the computer expert he said, "Good point. Hey, Izzy? I know the rules of the Digital World as well as you do, but Yolei's right. We don't know for sure if there's anything going on, and that e-mail could mean anything, or nothing at all. The Digital World is really peaceful, so it wouldn't make sense to start panicking over nothing. You...you won't tell Davis and the others about what we talked about, will you?"

Izzy raised his eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest he said, "Why not?"

"We don't want to worry them if there's really nothing going on," Yolei said hastily. "And besides, Willis has really been looking forward to visiting us here in Japan. We don't want to ruin what's supposed to be the best year of his life for nothing."

Izzy stared at them for a long moment and letting out a deep sigh he finally nodded his head, the ease in which he had agreed to their request coming as a bit of a surprise. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you have my word. I won't tell Davis and the others what's going on, but only on one condition."

T.K. sat up straight in his seat, and lifting his head he glanced sharply at the computer expert. "What would that be?"

"If we do find out there really is something going on in the Digital World, you two have to tell Davis and the others right away."

"Don't worry, we will," Yolei promised, giving Izzy a reassuring smile. "I pretty much told T.K. the same thing already. What should we do in the meantime?"

"Well, for one thing, I think we should ask our digimon if they've noticed anything out of the ordinary going on in the Digital World. Also, while we're there, keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual, and if we get a chance, while the others aren't paying attention to us, of course, we'll have a look around and see if we can't find out a little more about what's going on and maybe even find out more from the other digimon in the Digital World, as well. How does that sound?"

T.K. let out a small sigh of relief and giving the computer expert a grateful pat on the shoulder he said, "It sounds perfect, Izzy. Thanks a lot."

"I still don't like keeping secrets from the others, but I'll go along with it this time."

"I know. I don't like it either, but I think it's for the best right now."

Izzy shrugged and gave him a funny look. "If you say so. T.K...why do you think that e-mail might have something to do with Willis?"

"Yeah, spill! This is news to me!" Yolei said indignantly.

T.K. blushed, and ducking his head he quickly lowered his eyes to the ground. "I don't know. It's just...this feeling I have."

At that moment, the door suddenly burst open and Davis, Kari, and Willis, followed by an embarrassed looking Ken, suddenly crowded into the room, their loud footsteps causing T.K. to jump in his seat. He turned to glance nervously at Yolei, but instead of getting all flustered and worried over the sudden arrival of their friends, she merely smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders. "See? I told you Davis would be late, as usual."

"Hey, I have a good reason for being late!" Davis shouted, glaring at Yolei. "Ken wanted to ask Willis how his first day at school went. Give me a break, would you?"

"I'm really sorry, Yolei," Ken mumbled, his face turning bright red. "I was the one who held everyone up. I ran into them in the hallway and-"

"I'm glad you did," Willis interrupted, smiling at the former Emperor.

Feeling guilty, T.K. glanced uncertainly at Willis, but the American Digidestined refused to look in his direction. It was almost as if Willis had completely forgotten about what had happened between them earlier. _Even Ken asked him about his first day at school. Why do I always have to make everything so hard?_

"It's stupid, but I was worried you might not have a good day and then you wouldn't want to stay here in Japan," Ken mumbled, glancing shyly at Willis. "I...I wouldn't want you to leave without the two of us getting a chance to know each other a bit better."

Willis pulled Ken over to the computer and smiling he put his arm around the former Emperor's shoulders in a friendly squeeze. "I wouldn't want that either. Trust me, Ken, I'm not going anywhere."

"Besides, we're not the only ones who are late," Davis interrupted. "Where's Cody? I don't see him around here anywhere."

"I'm right here!"

T.K. looked up just in time to see Cody hurrying into the room, and he gave his younger friend a warm smile. "Hey, Cody."

"Where were you?" Kari asked, gazing curiously at the younger boy.

"One of my teachers wanted to talk to me. Sorry about that."

"And you guys say I come up with lame excuses," Davis snorted. "Are we ready to go?"

"Wait!" Willis blurted out, pushing past the goggle-headed leader and throwing his arms around Izzy in a big hug. "It's so good to see you, Izzy! Have I ever once thanked you for all your help? You're a life saver, you know that?"

Izzy looked momentarily surprised by such a warm welcome, but almost immediately the flustered expression on his face was replaced with a smile, and he returned the American Digidestined's hug. "You just did. I wanted to come see you yesterday, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to. How do you like Japan so far?"

"It's amazing, especially since I'm here with you guys."

"I'm really glad you decided to come," Izzy said softly. "I was almost afraid you were never going to make it here."

Willis pulled back and gave him a brilliant smile. "I have a lot of great friends here. How could I possibly stay away? You and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Izzy beamed at the American Digidestined and nodded vigorously in agreement he said, "Well, we have plenty of time. I'm glad to see you're getting along so well with Ken."

"Was there ever any doubt of that?" Wiilis asked, raising his eyebrows and turning to smile at Ken.

The former Emperor blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "I admit, I was a bit uncertain, but I realize now I had nothing to worry about."

"We were all a little bit worried, but we knew things would work out in the end," Kari said quietly.

_Everyone seems so happy, so why do I feel so sad?_

Unable to stand listening to the conversation anymore, T.K. quickly got to his feet and pointed his D-3 at the computer screen. How was he supposed to just sit there and act like there was nothing wrong when Willis was ignoring him and treating everyone else like they were the most important people in the world to him? On top of that, he was still worried about what might possibly be going on in the Digital World. "Come on, we should get going. We only have so much time before our parents will expect us to be home for dinner."

"T.K., is there something wrong? You've been acting really quiet lately," Ken said hesitantly, looking uncertain of whether or not he should have spoken.

T.K. could feel everyone watching him, including Izzy and Yolei, but he did not dare try to meet anyone's gaze for fear of what they might see in his eyes. Izzy and Yolei already looked guilty enough to cause a lot of questions, and he didn't want to make things worse. Despite that, though, he could not help feeling touched by Ken's concern. _At least he actually noticed, unlike some of the others._

"T.K.?" Kari said softly, watching him closely.

T.K. suppressed a deep sigh and managing a faint smile he said, "I'm fine, let's go."

Without waiting for a reply, he let the power of the gate suck him through the computer screen.


	8. Trouble at Primary Village

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, it owns me. Well, at least a good chunk of my time!

A/N: And I bet you all thought I'd given up again! Well, here's the next chapter and I even have the chapter after this one already written out on paper. It's ready to be posted soon, probably in about two weeks or so. It will be called, _The Fallen City. _So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!

Trinity

Chapter 7: Trouble at Primary Village

_Willis_

Appearing suddenly out of the gate without any kind of warning whatsoever, Willis stumbled directly into Yolei's arms, his cheek smacking painfully against her shoulder, and trying unsuccessfully to regain his balance, he attempted to step around her, but before he could stop his momentum he ended up knocking both himself and Yolei onto the ground, nearly crushing the lavender-haired Digidestined in the process.

_Ouch. This whole traveling between two worlds thing is going to take some time getting use to. How do Davis and the others do this so often without ending up covered from head to toe in bruises?_

Lifting his head and shading his eyes from the bright sun shining brilliantly over File Island, Willis couldn't help shaking his head in amusement, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. Obviously, he had arrived at their intended destination much sooner than he would have expected, especially since his last trip through the gate, back when MaloMyotismon had been trying to cover both worlds in darkness, had made him feel like it was taking him forever to reach the Digital World, but even so he couldn't help gazing in awe at his surroundings. Even after stumbling through the gate, he had fully expected to find himself still falling through the portal linking both worlds together, but upon opening his eyes, he had instead found himself standing in a field of pink and white flowers, the thick green grass sprouting between the blossoms providing a soft cushion for a hard fall.

Well, at least for him.

"Willis, get off! You're heavy!" Yolei groaned, pushing against his chest and trying unsuccessfully to squirm out from underneath him.

Smiling sheepishly at the lavender-haired Digidestined, Willis quickly sat back on his knees, and nervously scratching the back of his head he said apologetically, "Sorry about that. This whole jumping between worlds thing is a lot harder than it looks. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, but you're as a bad as T.K.! How can the two of you be so cute and slim and still be so _heavy?_"

_What the..._

Blushing a deep shade of red, Willis glanced uncertainly at T.K., who was standing between Cody and Kari with his arms crossed over his chest, and smiling slightly the golden-haired Digidestined said, "Ignore her, Willis. She says things like that all the time. Although...I wouldn't think it would bother _you _too much. From what I can remember, you didn't seem to have much trouble following her example."

Knowing instinctively that T.K. was referring to the incident in Colorado, Willis mumbled, "I...that wasn't..."

"I'm kidding, Willis," T.K. said gently, interrupting him before he could form a coherent sentence. "Actually, I wish..."

"W-what?"

Letting out a soft sigh, T.K. lowered his eyes to the ground, and shaking his head he said quietly, "It's nothing. I just...I wish I had some of your spunk."

_Wait, is he...is he saying he wishes he could be more like me?_

Unable to look at T.K., Willis glanced at Kari instead, and realizing all of a sudden that she was watching T.K. closely, her dark eyes scrutinizing the golden-haired Digidestined's face, he couldn't help wondering if maybe there was a hidden message behind T.K.'s words.

_I always thought T.K. might have a thing for Kari, even when I first saw him in New York, but if that's true then why is he acting kind of distant towards her? Now that I think about it, Kari's been acting the same way, which makes even less sense because I'm sure she likes T.K. just as much as T.K. likes her. I mean, it's kind of obvious they really care about each other, but from the way they're acting now, I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume their relationship has gone...well...absolutely nowhere. I wonder why that is and I wonder how Davis feels about all of this..._

Unfortunately, he had no idea why T.K. and Kari were drifting away from each other, but there was one thing he did know. If T.K. was really serious about pursuing a relationship with Kari then he was going to have to put his whole heart and soul into making it work. Kari deserved nothing less than that.

_And now is as good a time as any to start proving himself to Kari._

Coming quickly to a decision, Willis calmly turned back towards T.K., and gazing directly into the golden-haired Digidestined's bright blue eyes he said seriously, "I wouldn't give up so easily if I were you."

T.K.'s eyes widened in shock, but before he could come up with a reply, Davis chose that moment to interrupt.

"Hey, Yolei, what about us?" the goggle-headed leader complained, gesturing towards himself and Ken. "Are you trying to say we're not as good as Willis and T.B.?"

"T.B.? Give me a break, Davis. I thought you'd given up on butchering my name," T.K. snorted, becoming momentarily distracted by the goggle-headed leader's sudden outburst.

"I have, but that doesn't mean I don't like to do it every now and then, just to bug you."

Raising his eyebrows T.K. said dryly, "Thanks, I love you too."

"Oh, Ken most certainly fits into the same category as Willis and T.K.," Yolei said cheerfully, nodding her head for emphasis. "He definitely doesn't have to work at being cute."

Davis stared at the lavender-haired Digidestined, and ignoring the sudden blush on Ken's cheeks he said, "You're evil, Yolei, you know that?"

Leaping to his feet, Willis moved quickly to place a sympathetic hand on the goggle-headed leader's shoulder and frowning he turned once more to gaze at the sun shining brightly in the sky above the distant peak of Infinity Mountain. Despite having two digimon partners, he had very little experience when it came to travelling to the Digital World, and since using the gates was still something quite new to him, he knew it was going to take another few trips before he would eventually get use to the rough ride between the human world and the Digital World. Not only that, but getting use to the scenery and all the new places he was bound to visit while in the Digital World was also going to take some getting use to.

_Speaking of my partners, where are they?_

Apparently he wasn't the only one pondering the whereabouts of his digimon because Cody suddenly said, "Yolei, I don't see Armadillomon anywhere. Are you sure you told Hawkmon the right gate?"

"Of course I did! When have I ever been the one to mess up our plans?"

"Well, there was that one time...and then there was the whole incident with the bridge..."

Yolei glared at the youngest member of the Digidestined, and placing her hands on her hips she said, "Our partners have got to be around here somewhere."

"Maybe they misunderstood you?" Kari suggested.

"You think so? I don't know...I thought I was pretty clear."

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe our partners are right over there," Izzy said mildly, pointing to a pair of small blue ears poking up through the colourful field of blossoms about ten feet away from them.

"Veemon!" Davis groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead. "Don't tell me he's asleep!"

Laughing, Willis grabbed Davis by the arm, and dragging the goggle-headed leader over to the group of small digimon snoozing in the grass, he smiled fondly at the two little rabbit digimon who were sitting back to back, their chins drooping lightly onto their chests. Clearly, they were fast asleep, and judging from the smiles on their faces it looked like they were both having the same pleasant dream.

_They look so happy together. In fact, all of our digimon look happy. I wonder if it's because they get to see us all again. Even though Veemon and the other digimon get to see their partners a lot more often than Terriermon and Lopmon get to see me, I bet they still get pretty excited every time Davis and the others come to the Digital World. As for my partners, they haven't seen me in four years. Davis says time doesn't make any difference, but I still can't help feeling a little bit nervous..._

Fortunately, he didn't have too much time to dwell on his miserable thoughts because at the moment a certain little draconian digimon was causing quite a bit of a distraction, which wasn't entirely out of the ordinary, especially considering who his partner was.

Curled up on his side, his head resting comfortably against Armadillomon's sleek, hard shell, Veemon was snoring softly in his sleep, and although his snores weren't as loud as some of the ones Davis could generate while sleeping, they were still loud enough to cause a distraction for anyone who might be a light sleeper, or for anyone near him who may not yet have fallen asleep. Apparently Veemon had managed to pick up on some of his partner's less attractive habits over the years, and although Yolei probably complained about the little rookie's similarities to Davis every chance she got, Willis actually found Veemon's behaviour to be quite endearing. There was just something about humans and their digimon partners being so closely connected they were more like one entity instead of two separate ones that made him feel oddly warm inside.

_It's like we're a part of them just as much as they're a part of us._

Following Veemon's example, Hawkmon had made himself comfortable on Armadillomon's other side, and sleeping soundly with his face buried in the crook of one of his wings, Willis could hear the little bird digimon's deep even breaths, despite Veemon's snores.

A few feet away from the snoozing trio, Gatomon and Patamon were sleeping quietly in their own little patch of flowers, and although Gatomon was actually the larger of the two digimon, at the moment she was using Patamon's soft, furry body as a comfy pillow for her head.

Beside them, Tentomon and Wormmon were sleeping happily next to one another in the grass, but whereas Wormmon was quiet, Tentomon appeared to be mumbling to himself in his sleep.

_I wonder if Izzy talks in his sleep. That wouldn't surprise me. All those numbers and calculations going through his head..._

"Veemon, dude, wake up!" Davis shouted, nudging the little rookie with his foot.

Groaning softly, Veemon slowly opened his eyes, and leaping suddenly to his feet he cried, "An evil digimon! Where is he? Let me at him!"

"Uh, Veemon," Davis interrupted, rolling his eyes, "chill dude. It was just a dream."

"Really?"

"Well, duh. Do _you_ see any evil digimon around here?"

Veemon glanced around in confusion, and smiling sheepishly at his partner he said, "A dream, huh? Too bad. And just when it was getting to the good part! Why'd you have to go and wake me up?"

"Oh, _excuse me. _Nice to see you, too," Davis said sarcastically, glaring at his partner.

"But...the two of us were just about to save the Digital World together!"

In response to his partner's sudden outburst, Davis knelt next to Veemon, the glare on his face immediately softening into a smile, and giving the little rookie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder he said, "We'll get him next time."

"T.K.!" Patamon cried, zooming into his partner's arms and cuddling his cheek against the golden-haired Digidestined's chest. "How was school today?"

"It was okay. How about you? Have you been keeping yourself busy lately?"

"Yes, but the Digital World just isn' t the same without you here."

"I feel the same way about the human world. Without you around it does get a little dull at times, " T.K. murmured, smiling and stroking his digimon's soft fur.

"Izzy, you're here!" Tentomon gasped, hovering excitedly around his partner. "I know school is important, but please don't forget about me."

"I could never forget about you, Tentomon," Izzy assured the little rookie. "How are Agumon and the others doing?"

"Pretty good, though like me they're anxious to see their partners again."

"I bet they are. Don't worry, Tentomon, I'll make sure Tai and the others come to visit as soon as possible. Pass the news on to Agumon for me, would you?"

"Is that all I am to you? A messenger?"

"Tentomon!"

"Kidding! I'm kidding. You'll never change, Izzy."

Izzy raised his eyebrows, and frowning at his partner he said, "You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

"A bad thing? I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I hope you never change, Izzy. I like you just the way you are."

"Really? Thanks, Tentomon."

"I'm very sorry, Yolei, I never meant to fall asleep!" Hawkmon insisted, gazing anxiously at his partner.

Instead of getting angry, Yolei quickly scooped Hawkmon into her arms, and holding him tightly against her chest she said, "Don't worry about it. Thanks to Davis, we're actually a little bit late so...if you think about it, technically it's all his fault, not yours."

"Hey! Cody was the one holding us up, not me!" Davis shouted, glaring indignantly at the lavender-haired Digidestined.

"You guys are a little late, but I don't mind," Armadillomon said pleasantly, stretching and slowly opening his eyes. "After all, I never feel quite right if I don't get my afternoon nap in. How are you doing, Cody?"

"I'm doing great now that I'm here with you. Sorry to interrupt your nap," Cody said regretfully, kneeling next to his partner and stroking the little rookie's hard shell. "Did you sleep well?"

"I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"Ken!" Wormmon called out, leaping into his partner's arms. "Is everything okay?"

Willis caught the look Wormmon sent in his direction, and smiling slightly he quickly moved over to stand next to Ken, his arm going around the former Digimon Emperor's shoulders. "Hello, Wormmon. It's nice to meet you, and don't worry, everything is just fine."

"It seems my fears were all inside my head," Ken mumbled, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"Hello, Willis, it's nice to meet you, too," Wormmon said pleasantly, his large blue eyes sparkling happily in the sunshine. "Davis and the others told us you were coming a while ago and I've been wanting to meet you ever since."

"Same here. Ken's a lucky guy to have a digimon like you."

Beaming at him Wormmon said, "No, I'm lucky to have a partner like Ken."

"I think you're both pretty lucky."

"Hey, Kari, it's good to see you again, but don't you think it's time we woke up Terriermon and Lopmon?" Gatomon said dryly, leaping into her partner's arms and nodding her heads towards the two little rabbit digimon.

"Yes, I'm sure they're anxious to see Willis again."

"Willis, why don't you wake them?" T.K. suggested, giving him a warm smile. "You're the one they came here to see."

Avoiding the golden-haired Digidestined's eyes, Willis knelt in the grass next to his partners, his heart pounding excitedly in his chest, and stroking their long fluffy ears he murmured, "Hey, guys."

"Willis?" Terriermon mumbled, his eyes slowly fluttering open.

Lopmon's eyes flew open, as well, and letting out a soft gasp of surprise the little rookie cried, "Willis!"

_They really do remember me!_

Beaming at his digimon, Willis reached out to scratch them gently behind the ears, but before he could even say hello the two little rookies suddenly tackled him, knocking him backwards onto the grass.

"Willis, I missed you so much!" Terriermon mumbled against his chest. "Lopmon and I have been waiting forever to see you again."

"I know. I'm sorry it took me so long to visit. It's good to see you both again."

"You look a little different," Lopmon said shyly, cuddling happily against his chest.

"Well, I am older."

"Maybe, but your personality hasn't changed!" Terriermon said cheerfully.

"I'm glad," Lopmon whispered into his chest. "It would have made me sad if you had become someone other than the nice, caring Willis I remember."

Tears stinging his eyes, Willis buried his face against the top of Lopmon's head and stroking the little rookie's ears he whispered, "Kokomon, I still can't believe you came back to me."

"I'll always come back to you, Willis."

"That's right," Terriermon said firmly, nodding his head for emphasis. "The three of us will always be together. Isn't that right, Lopmon?"

"That's right."

Hugging the two little rookies tightly against his chest, their long ears curling around his upper arms, Willis murmured, "I know. The three of us make a great team."

"Lopmon and I work really well together," Terriermon insisted, beaming at his fellow rookie. "Don't worry, Willis, I promise we won't let you down."

"I know you won't. Trust me, there was never any doubt of that."

"I was really lonely without you, but at least I had Terriermon to keep me company," Lopmon said softly.

Terriermon gently curled his ear around Lopmon's small body and smiling he said, "Me, too."

"Hey, Yolei, in case you didn't notice, the big reunion is over so what exactly are we going to do now?" Davis demanded, frowning at the lavender-haired Digidestined.

Glaring at the goggle-headed leader, Yolei set Hawkmon back on his feet and placing her hands on her hips she said, "Well, I thought maybe we'd go pay Elecmon and the babies a visit. Willis has never been to Primary Village before so I thought he might like to see it."

Willis looked up in surprise, and holding his partners close he said slowly, "Primary Village...that's the place where digimon are reconfigured after they die, right?"

"Yes," T.K. said quietly, avoiding his eyes. "Primary Village is a place where all digimon, good or bad, have a chance to start over again. Most of them end up at Primary Village, with the exception being our partners. After Patamon died, he was actually reconfigured right in front of me, but under other circumstances...say for instance if I had let myself be corrupted by the Powers of Darkness, then he too probably would have ended up back at Primary Village."

"Like Wormmon," Ken mumbled, his deep blue eyes growing dark and shadowy. "Through no fault of his own, he ended up being reborn at Primary Village. Why? Because I was the one who had let myself become corrupted by darkness. That was something I needed to come to terms with before Wormmon could come back to me. You were lucky, Willis. Kokomon came back to you in the human world because you were more like T.K., especially after the battle with Cherubimon."

_T.K., Ken...I almost forgot. They, too, know what it feels like to lose a digimon who is important to them. We're never alone, even when we think we are. Isn't that what Davis kept trying to tell me?_

"Well, what do you think, Willis?" Yolei asked gently, giving him a warm smile.

Gazing down at the two little rookies in his arms, his mind going back to the moment when he and Terriermon had stumbled across Kokomon's egg, he said quietly, "I'd love to see Primary Village."

_T.K. and I really aren't so different from each other. Like him, my digimon came back to me. Kokomon's egg found me. Why can't he see how similar we are?_

"But, Yolei," T.K. suddenly protested, tugging anxiously on the lavender-haired Digidestined's arm, "if we go to Primary Village, we won't be able to-"

"There will be plenty of time to do a little _sightseeing _later on," Izzy interrupted, giving the golden-haired Digidestined a warning look. "Right now, let's just focus on making sure Willis has a good time, okay?"

"Izzy's right, there's plenty of time," Yolei insisted.

T.K. let out a deep sigh, and nodding his head in defeat he mumbled, "I know. Sorry."

_Huh? Sightseeing? But...isn't that what we're doing now? I mean, doesn't going to Primary Village count as sightseeing?_

Almost against his will, Willis turned slowly to look at Kari, and realizing the female Digidestined was gazing back at him he felt his face turn a deep shade of red.

_Wait a minute, she...she doesn't know what T.K.'s talking about either?_

Obviously she didn't because like him the female Digidestined was also staring intently at T.K.'s face, trying unsuccessfully to ponder the meaning behind the golden-haired Digidestined's cryptic words.

"Dudes, if we're going to go to Primary Village then let's get going already!" Davis ordered, nodding his head towards the bright colourful buildings looming above the trees in the distance.

It was a relatively short walk, and upon reaching the edge of the village Willis came to an abrupt stop, the tense silence hovering around the village immediately capturing his attention.

"That's strange," Cody said slowly, frowning in confusion. "Normally Primary Village is full of life. I wonder where everybody is."

"It's too quiet," Kari murmured, her amber eyes growing wide with sudden fear. "Something definitely isn't right around here."

"Willis?" Terriermon asked tentatively, clinging tightly to his right shoulder.

"Considering this place is supposed to be full of baby digimon, it does seem a bit quiet."

Clinging tightly to his left shoulder Lopmon nodded in agreement. "I hope the baby digimon are okay."

"Why don't we find Elecmon?" T.K. suggested, his eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "As the caretaker of Primary Village, he should know what's going on around here."

Davis nodded in agreement, and pulling out his Digivice he said, "Sounds like a plan to me. Only...where are we supposed to start looking?"

"How about-"

"T.K.!"

Jerking his head up in surprise, Willis spotted a small rusty-coloured digimon hurrying towards them, and judging from the expression on the little rookie's face it looked like he was in a state of panic.

"Elecmon!" T.K. shouted, racing towards the little digimon. "What's going on around here?"

"Are you okay?" Patamon cried, leaping off of T.K.'s head in fear and landing on the ground next to his fellow rookie.

Elecmon stumbled to a halt in front of T.K. and gasping for breath he cried, "My babies! My babies are missing!"


	9. The Fallen City

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! I know, pretty amazing, huh? This quickly!

Trinity

Chapter 8: The Fallen City

_T.K._

Almost unable to believe what he was hearing, T.K. stared at Elecmon in utter disbelief, at a complete loss for words, and realizing all of a sudden he should probably come up with at least some sort of a response, he knelt in front of the little rookie and said, "Hold it, Elecmon, slow down a little bit, would you? What do you mean your babies have been stolen?"

Elecmon hung his head, and letting out a soft sound of distress the little rookie turned to gaze fearfully at what T.K. could instantly tell were a bunch of empty cradles clustered together near the centre of the village. They stood about twenty feet away from where he was kneeling in front of Elecmon, and even though the distance prevented him from actually seeing whether or not the cradles were occupied at the moment, somehow he just knew instinctively that they were empty, despite all sense of logic and reason.

Fortunately, all of Elecmon's unhatched digieggs, which were nestled comfortably in the grass next to the cradles, appeared not to have been tampered with, and considering how many eggs there were, all of which were waiting patiently for their turn to hatch, it didn't look as if any of them had gone missing. At least, T.K. hoped that was the case.

"Elecmon?" Kari said softly, kneeling next to the little rookie and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Willis suggested, his pale blue eyes growing dark and serious.

Elecmon glanced at Willis in surprise and frowning he said curiously, "Pardon me, but...who might you be? If you don't mind me asking, of course. I don't think I've seen you in the Digital World before. Forgive me for being rude, but for the safety of my babies I need to be careful with strangers."

"Dude, you've got to be kidding me!" Davis groaned, his arm going around the American Digidestined's shoulders in a tight grip. "According to you, your babies aren't even in Primary Village at the moment!"

"That is beside the point! Primary Village still needs to be protected, regardless of where my babies are. They need a place to come home to, or would you prefer to take responsibility for the destruction of this village and let them come live at _your _house?"

Davis jumped in surprise, and glaring indignantly at the little rookie he shouted, "Are you insane? My mom would kill me if I ever let a bunch of baby digimon destroy our home. DemiVeemon's bad enough, and my parents don't even know he's still in the human world. Can you imagine how they would react to those destructive little runts you call digimon?"

"Davis!" Yolei snapped, elbowing the goggle-headed leader painfully in the stomach.

Elecmon stuck his nose in the air and smiling triumphantly at Davis he said smugly, "Now do you see why protecting this village is so important?"

"You really know how to annoy someone, don't you. Look, I get what you're saying, but you don't have to worry about Willis. He's a Digidestined, just like us. Plus, he's also our friend. Terriermon and Lopmon are his partners."

"Hi there, nice to meet you!" Terriermon said cheerfully, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood.

"Hello," Lopmon said shyly.

Elecmon bowed his head in acknowledgement of their words and making a face he said reluctantly, "Perhaps I should start at the beginning. You see...not all of my babies have been stolen. A few of them still remain here, but most of them were taken from the village."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yolei said indignantly, her glasses slipping dangerously close to the edge of her nose. "Who would want to steal a bunch of baby digimon from a village acting as a daycare? When I get my hands on whoever did this, I'm going to make them-"

"Elecmon, when it comes to protecting this village, you're normally even worse than a Guardromon," Izzy interrupted, his eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "I don't get it, how could anyone have stolen a bunch of baby digimon right out from under your nose without you noticing?"

"Or maybe you did notice, but there was nothing you could do about it?" Cody said slowly, watching Elecmon closely.

Elecmon shook his head and gazing miserably at the ground beneath his feet he mumbled, "No, it was nothing like that."

"Then what happened?" Wormmon asked quietly, glancing at his partner in confusion.

Ken gave the little insect digimon a reassuring smile and turning to Elecmon he said quietly, "Tell us."

"I left the village to do some fishing because the babies were hungry, but when I returned..."

"The babies were gone," Gatomon finished, clenching her paws into tight fists. "Who would have the nerve to do such a thing?"

"But, Elecmon, you said not all of the babies were taken, right?" Hawkmon inquired, glancing curiously at the empty cradles.

"When I returned to the village, only five babies remained, but all of them were ones who must have hatched from their eggs while I was away. They were quite frantic, to say the least, when I found them in the egg patch, but despite their fear I was able to gain some valuable information."

"Wait, you mean you can understand baby digimon?" Davis said incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.

Elecmon frowned at the goggle-headed leader and shrugging his small shoulders he said, "Not always, but this time they made their feelings very clear to me. I have to be able to understand them at least a little bit in order to look after them properly."

"Where are they now?" Armadillomon asked, referring to the five newly hatched babies.

Elecmon pointed to one of the large colourful buildings on the opposite side of the egg patch and gesturing at it with his paw he said, "It took me a while to calm them down, but at last I was finally able to get them to sleep. Because of what happened here today, I didn't feel comfortable leaving them outside so I brought some cradles into the main building and put them down for a nap."

"What did the babies tell you?" Willis asked reluctantly, as if unsure of whether or not he really wanted to know the answer.

"They made it quite clear that their fellow babies were stolen by another digimon and judging from the way they kept looking towards the north side of Primary Village, I think it's pretty safe to assume that the digimon who spirited away my babies headed off in that direction."

"North, huh?" Davis muttered to himself, absentmindedly adjusting the goggles on his head.

T.K. frowned in confusion and glancing at Izzy he said hesitantly, "Is there even anything north of Primary Village? Like maybe another town or a cave, or maybe even an underground cavern?"

"Not that I'm aware of. At least, not according to the map of File Island I have stored on my laptop."

"Speaking of your laptop, where is it?" Yolei asked curiously, frowning at the computer expert. "You don't usually go anywhere without it."

"I didn't bring it along this time because I didn't think I was going to need it. Now I wish I had. It might have come in handy."

"See what happens when you don't come prepared?"

"How was I supposed to know we were going to end up with a digital baby snatcher on our hands?" Izzy protested. "You told me we were just going to come here for a nice visit so Willis could see his digimon again!"

"Excuses, excuses! What is wrong with you, Izzy? You're practically married to your laptop and the one time we need it you don't even bring it with you! That is so like a man."

"Hey! You _ladies _aren't exactly perfect yourselves!" Davis shot back, coming to Izzy's defense.

"He's got us there, Yolei!" Kari laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

"Kari, you're not supposed to encourage him!"

"Your map might not show anything, Izzy, but that doesn't mean there isn't something there," Elecmon said slowly, gazing thoughtfully at the large patch of colourful eggs gleaming brightly in the sunshine. "Rumour has it there's an old abandoned city north of Primary Village, though I've never been there myself. It's supposedly a few centuries old, and nobody lives there now, which would explain why it might not appear on any maps. Apparently, it's pretty rundown, and even the name of the city itself has been long forgotten. I expect the city probably feel during a conflict between two groups of rival digimon who were at war with each other."

"Do you think it might be haunted?" Armadillomon asked pleasantly, showing mild curiosity.

"Don't be ridiculous, Armadillomon! There's no such things as ghosts," Cody scolded. "Remember Wizardmon? Even he wasn't technically a ghost. His data was just lost and needed to find its way back to the Digital World."

"I don't know about being haunted, but digimon I've met in passing have told me that the place is pretty spooky," Elecmon said seriously. "Apparently strange things have happened to digimon who have entered the city looking for adventure, and some of the stories I've heard suggest the place might not be as empty as it appears to be. My five remaining babies had only just hatched when they saw a digimon leading the other babies out of the village so they don't know much for sure, but I believe even they think the other babies could be in terrible danger."

"What do you think, Izzy?" Willis asked, frowning at the computer expert.

"Well...if the digimon Elecmon's remaining babies saw really was heading north, and this abandoned city is the only prominent landmark in that direction, then I think it's pretty safe to assume whoever this digimon was may have taken them there."

"What are we going to do?" Elecmon asked anxiously, glancing nervously back at the house where his five remaining babies were sleeping peacefully in their cradles.

"Duh, what do you think we're going to do? We're going to go after the jerk who stole your babies!" Davis said confidently, pumping his fist into the air.

"You will? But..."

T.K. placed a reassuring hand on Elecmon's shoulder, and giving the little rookie a warm smile he said, "Do you know what kind of digimon stole your babies?"

"I think my hatchlings might know, but I can't understand them well enough to get an accurate description of the thief. Whoever he was, though, he must have been at least a champion because my remaining babies did indicate he was quite big. Normally, with a few exceptions, rookies are small in stature, so I'm pretty sure the thief must have been at the champion level or higher."

"Good to know," Veemon muttered, nodding his head and turning to look at his partner, "Come on, Davis, we should hurry before our thief gets too far ahead of us."

"Yeah, no baby snatching thief is going to ruin what's supposed to be a fun day for us here in the Digital World. That's what my detentions are for! Let's go, Veemon!"

"You mean...you really are going to go after him?" Elecmon said hesitantly, glancing hopefully at the goggle-headed leader. "I would have gone myself only..."

Davis grinned at the little rookie and adjusting the goggles on his head he said cheerfully, "Don't worry about it, we understand. You couldn't leave those five new babies here all by themselves, could you? What if the thief had come back for them while you were out searching the abandoned city? If that had happened, you wouldn't have any babies left here in Primary Village! Just leave the thief catching to us. We'll clear up this mess for you!"

"Davis is right," Kari said firmly, giving Elecmon a stern look. "We can't leave the hatchlings all by themselves. You should stay here and look after them while we're gone, and don't worry about us. We'll be back before you know it."

Elecmon quickly nodded in agreement and smiling sheepishly at the female Digidestined he said, "Thank you, all of you. I am deeply in your debt, and don't worry about the babies here. I will protect them with my life."

"We know," Lopmon said softly, beaming at the caretaker of Primary Village.

_I wonder...could the digimon who stole Elecmon's babies have something to do with that strange email Yolei received yesterday from someone calling himself 'The Keeper of the Prophecies?' It sure sounded like a prophecy to me..._

T.K. slowly got to his feet, and moving over to stand next to Izzy he whispered, "Do you think this might be the clue we're looking for?"

Izzy's eyebrows narrowed into a frown and leaning close he said quietly, "There's only one way to find out."

"I was afraid you were going to say that, and yet strangely I'm not disappointed."

"Well, are we going or not?" Davis demanded, clearly impatient to get moving.

Kari let out a soft sigh and pulling out her Digivice she said reluctantly, "If we want to reach this abandoned city before our parents expect us home for dinner we're going to have to go by air."

"I agree," Yolei promptly replied, nodding her head in approval. "We'll use Halsemon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon. I know Kabuterimon, ExVeemon, and Stingmon can all fly, too, but there will be less chance of anyone spotting us if we limit the amount of digimon we use to just three. I'm sure Kabuterimon would probably be able to carry us all at once, but he's a little _too_ big for my tastes. No offence, Tentomon, but as Kabuterimon you'd stick out like a sore thumb, especially if we _do_ end up with a spy on our hands once we reach the city."

"Useless, am I?" Tentomon huffed, turning his back on Yolei.

"You okay?" Izzy asked almost as an afterthought, glancing down at his partner.

"Oh, don't mind me, I just think a sensitive digimon like myself should be treated with a little bit more respect, is all, but since _my _feelings obviously don't matter very much, I doubt my opinion will have any kind of value either."

"As I was saying," Yolei interrupted, ignoring Tentomon's obvious sarcasm, "Halsemon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon will be hard to spot from really high up in the air, since they're small enough to remain inconspicuous, and they're also the most agile out of all our winged digimon, which means they can avoid being seen if they have to."

Frowning slightly, T.K. turned to gaze uneasily at the empty cradles standing next to the egg patch, and shaking his head he muttered, "It has to be a setup."

"What was that, T.K.?" Willis asked nonchalantly, his sudden words cutting through the tension in the air like a knife. "Did you say something just now?"

T.K. felt his face turn red, and whirling around in surprise he jumped when he realized Willis was kneeling next to him on the ground, their bodies only mere inches apart. In fact, they were so close to each other their shoulders were touching, and yet despite the physical contact between them, T.K. hadn't even noticed the American Digidestined's presence, though he suspected that was mostly due to the fact that his mind was occupied with more important matters.

_Like how this whole incident with Elecmon's babies seems staged to me..._

"T.K.?" Willis pressed, tugging rather harder than necessary on his arm.

Avoiding the American Digidestined's penetrating blue gaze he mumbled, "No. I...there's nothing wrong."

_Or is there something wrong and we just don't know it? Could we be walking right into a trap? Maybe I'm just imagining things, but...it feels almost as if we're being lured into this abandoned city Elecmon told us about on purpose..._

A small shudder suddenly raced down his spine and turning to Yolei he said in what he hoped was a cheerful voice, "Your plan sounds good to me!"

"Perfecto! Okay, then that means two of our digimon are going to have to carry three people. Hey, Hawkmon, do you think you're up for a little heavy lifting?"

"I very much doubt three humans will be a problem for me."

"Well, you'll have to carry a few rookie digimon, too."

"I expected as much. Don't worry about me, Yolei, I'll be fine. I'm ready whenever you are."

"In that case you can do the honours, Yolei, and hurry up about it, would you?" Davis said impatiently, making a face. "I don't care who rides with who as long as we get moving sometime this year!"

Yolei glared at the goggle-headed leader, and pushing her glasses up her nose she said, "Why don't you ride with T.K.? If you think _I'm _going to listen to you whine and complain the whole way there, forget it! The two of you can take the lead while the rest of us follow along behind. Ken and Willis can ride with me and Cody and Izzy can ride with Kari. How does that sound?"

"Fine, but don't expect me to let you catch a ride on Raidramon after this!"

"What makes you think I'd ever want to ride with you?"

"Yeah, well I don't want to ride with you either!"

"Of all the-"

"Will you two cut it out?" Cody scolded, grabbing onto Yolei's wrist before she could smack the goggle-headed leader hard in the chest.

Anxious to put some distance between himself and Willis, T.K. quickly jumped to his feet, trying unsuccessfully to hide his nervousness behind a carefree laugh and a fake smile. As much as he didn't want to admit it, being around Willis always made him feel slightly uneasy because he could never tell for sure if Willis _wanted_ to be around him.

_If he doesn't like me then why doesn't he just say so? It would be a lot easier for both of us if he would just admit it..._

"Are you ready, Gatomon?" Kari asked, hopping to her feet and smiling down at her partner.

"Anything to keep Davis quiet. I'm in a hurry to go myself, but if Davis keeps complaining about how long it's taking us to leave, I'm going to use him for a scratching post!" Gatomon sniffed, turning up her nose at the goggle-headed leader. "Gatomon armor digivolve to, Nefertimon!"

"What's eating her?" Davis complained, giving the newly evolved Nefertimon a dirty look.

"The same thing that's eating you, I expect," Hawkmon replied, sounding amused. "My turn now. Hawkmon armor digivolve to, Halsemon!"

"Are you ready, T.K.?" Patamon asked, sailing into his arms and giving him an adorable smile. "Elecmon did a lot to help us out when you were younger. It's only fair we return the favour. Besides, I'm worried about the babies."

"Me too. Okay, your turn, Patamon."

"Right!"

Patamon quickly flew out of his arms, and holding out his D-3, his D-Terminal held securely in his other hand, T.K. pointed his Digivice at the little rookie hovering in front of him. With a flash of light, Patamon armor digivolved into Pegasusmon, and leaping onto the newly evolved armor digimon's back, T.K. held out his hand to Davis, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Come on, you said you wanted to hurry, didn't you?"

Grumbling to himself, Davis quickly grabbed onto the hand that had been so graciously offered to him, and pulling the goggle-headed leader up behind him, T.K. waited until Veemon was settled on his lap before giving his own partner a fond smile and a gentle pat on the neck. "I hope our fearless leader's ego doesn't weigh you down too much."

"Hey, I heard that!" Davis shouted, hitting him lightly between the shoulder blades. "And for your information, T.A., Veemon's ego is just as big as mine! Oh wait, I mean...dude, that came out wrong..."

Laughing, T.K. glanced at the blue reptile digimon sitting on his lap, and smiling he said, "It's okay, Veemon, at least _you_ have a good reason to be overly proud of yourself."

"Wormmon and I _do _make a powerful mega," Veemon said modestly, beaming at the compliment.

"Why am I always the one getting picked on?" Davis groaned, making a face.

"Are we ready to go?" Izzy asked from his seat between Kari and Cody on Nefertimon's back.

"Of course we are! Take us up, T.K., and whatever you do don't let Davis cause any trouble!" Yolei warned, giving the goggle-headed leader a dirty look.

"Be careful!" Elecmon called out, moving quickly out of the way to avoid getting trampled by the three winged armor digimon. "That old city...the digimon here on File Island call it The Fallen City. You'd best keep your wits about you."

T.K. quickly braced himself for the initial takeoff, and giving his partner the order to take them up he gently wrapped his arms around Veemon to prevent the little rookie from sliding off of Pegasusmon's back.

"Hey, T.K., what's up with Yolei? Why does she always have to pick on me?" Davis complained, glaring in the lavender-haired Digidestined's direction.

"I don't know what the big deal is. Yolei obviously cares about you a lot, which is probably why she gets on your case all the time. Seriously, Davis, if anything were to ever happen to you, Yolei would be really upset. I know she would really miss you. After all, without you around, who would she argue with?"

"You know, you're not making me feel any better."

T.K. rolled his eyes and smiling slightly he said, "Stop complaining and hang onto me, would you?"

"But-"

"Do you want to save Elecmon's babies, or not?"

"Duh, of course I do!"

"Then stop complaining and hang onto me. I don't bite, you know. Unless of course you _want_ to fall to your death."

Pulling back slightly, Davis muttered something under his breath and T.K. turned to smile at the goggle-headed leader, his bright blue eyes twinkling mischievously in the light of the sun. "Well?"

Blushing slightly, Davis glared at him, and reluctantly wrapping an arm around his waist he said, "You're even worse than Yolei."

"Ouch, and here I thought you were finally warming up to me."

"Shut up, T.K.!" Davis laughed, punching him gently in the shoulder.

"Are we ready to go?" Pegasusmon asked, twisting his head around to gaze expectantly at the two humans sitting on his back. "Halsemon and Nefertimon are waiting for my signal."

Realizing all of a sudden that Pegasusmon had been hovering motionless in the air, waiting patiently for his orders, T.K. said quickly, "Lead the way, Pegasusmon. We'll head north from here and once the city actually comes into view that's when we'll plan our next move."

"Sounds good to me. Halsemon, Nefertimon, follow me!"

"We're right behind you!" Nefertimon called out, swooping into line behind Pegasusmon and beside Halsemon. Their formation resembled a triangle, and with Kari, Willis, and himself sitting on each of the three digimon, to T.K. for some reason the arrangement seemed somehow significant.

"Hey, T.K., um...listen, are you okay?" Davis suddenly said quietly in his ear, catching him by surprise.

Davis was the last person he would have expected to notice his strange behaviour and despite feeling suddenly nervous, at the same time he couldn't help feeling oddly warm inside. "Thanks, Davis."

"Huh? For what? I didn't even do anything."

Avoiding the goggle-headed leader's dark eyes he mumbled, "It's nothing. I'm fine, really."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I am, but...thanks for asking."

"Oh. Okay then. It's just...if there was something wrong, I'd help you out. You know that, right?" Davis mumbled, sounding a little bit embarrassed.

Instead of responding, T.K. turned slightly to give the goggle-headed leader's shoulder a grateful squeeze before focusing his attention on the lithe form of Halsemon soaring several feet behind Pegasusmon.

Just before becoming airborne, T.K. hadn't failed to notice the way Willis had been watching him, and the look on the American Digidestined's face confused him. Willis had looked worried, and all of a sudden T.K. couldn't help wondering if maybe, just maybe, the American Digidestined didn't, in fact, feel so differently about him than Davis did after all.


	10. Home of the Angels

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter! I know it's been a while, but now I'm back and hopefully all my readers are still around! Anyway, hope you all like the new chapter!

Trinity

Chapter 9: Home of the Angels

_T.K._

Gazing in awe at the crumbling remains of the old city stretching out for miles along the edge of what looked like the same forest that could be seen from the east side of Primary Village, T.K. found himself at a loss for words, any of which he might have used to describe the scene before him having been swept out of his thoughts by the city's beauty and the air of mystery surrounding its battered stone walls and toppled buildings. Even from several hundred feet up in the air, his hands gripping Veemon firmly around the waist, T.K. could tell the city below him was massive in size, and although it looked like it was in serious need of repair, the state of its buildings and the broken stone wall surrounding the city's perimeter did not diminish its majestic appearance, nor did the obvious evidence of an epic war take anything away from the city's haunting presence and the strange aura that seemed to hover endlessly over its marble buildings.

Silent and watchful, it was almost as if the city itself was waiting quietly for new occupants to arrive, waiting for the day it would once again return to its former state of glory.

_There's something odd about this city. I don't know why, but for some reason it makes me feel kind of...sad..._

It was a city from the past, its true name having been lost in an age of war. A city with a long forgotten history. It seemed only appropriate that it would become a place of myth and legends.

The Fallen City. Such a fitting name.

"Dude, it's huge," Davis said quietly, the tone of his voice indicating that he was reluctant to disturb the quiet atmosphere of the city, as if doing so would somehow awaken whatever ghosts might be lurking within.

Sitting comfortably on Pegasusmon's back, T.K. felt Davis lean over his shoulder for a better look at the city, and holding Veemon tightly against his chest he said, "Davis, you know that river Elecmon's always fishing in when he needs more food for the babies? It runs along the west side of Primary Village, and from the looks of things, it appears that same river runs right through the centre of this city. See? There's a river flowing into the city from the west."

"I see it. It must cross over into the forest."

"Do you guys really think this city is abandoned?" Veemon asked curiously, his ears twitching slightly in the wind stirred up by both the altitude and Pegasusmon's wings.

Davis shrugged his shoulders and frowning he said, "It sure looks that way to me. I mean, come on, the place looks like a ghost town!"

As much as he didn't want to admit it, T.K. had to agree. The city did look remarkably like an elaborate ghost town, though it lacked the same kind of creepy atmosphere.

_At least to me it does. Maybe Davis might not think so, but...this place... It's not really creepy. It's just...sad. To me, this city feels so...so hopeless..._

And yet, despite his uneasiness, he couldn't deny that his view of the city from high up in the air was absolutely breathtaking.

"This city may look like a ghost town, but if our quarry truly does lurk within, I assure you he is no ghost," Pegasusmon said solemnly, his eyes scanning the city for any sign of activity.

"Way to ruin our fun, Pegasusmon," Davis complained, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Kari and Yolei are waving us over. It looks like they have a plan of some sort. They'd better because if Yolei's wasting our time for nothing, I'm really going to let her have it this time!"

Shaking his head in amusement, T.K. motioned for Pegasusmon to turn around, and soaring through the air at a quick pace, his digimon proceeded to join the small circle Yolei had established in the sky for a hurried conversation.

"What's up?" Davis asked, frowning in confusion. "I mean, other than us."

"This isn't the time for jokes, Davis!" Yolei scolded, glaring at the goggle-headed leader. "Look, this city is huge! You know what that means, don't you?"

Davis let out a loud groan, and making a face he said, "Yeah, it means we're in serious trouble."

"I can't argue with that," Willis muttered from his seat behind Yolei. "At this rate it'll take us forever to find Elecmon's babies, if we manage to find them at all."

"They could be anywhere," Kari said quietly, her arms tightening around Armadillomon's hard shell.

Sitting behind Kari, his arms wrapped securely around the female Digidestined's waist, Izzy said, "It may be risky, but I think Yolei's idea of splitting up into groups to search the city is really our only option."

_Wait a minute, Yolei wants to split up into groups? Does that mean she's finally ready to start searching for anything unusual that might give us a clue as to what that weird message she got from this so-called Keeper of the Prophecies is all about?_

Perking up immediately, T.K. glanced hopefully at the lavender-haired Digidestined, and watching her closely he said, "What do you mean?"

"Later. Right now I think we should land, preferably somewhere inside the city."

"Yolei's right. If we stay up here in the air for too long, someone might see us," Cody said hastily from his seat behind Izzy. "Remember, if that digimon who stole Elecmon's babies really is somewhere inside the city, he could be watching us."

"And not just him," Ken murmured from his seat behind Willis. "How do we know for sure the city is really empty? We don't have any way of knowing what's really lurking down there, which means we need to be very careful."

"Ken, please don't say things like that!" Wormmon gasped from his seat on Halsemon's head.

"Why? Are you scared, Wormmon?" Terriermon joked, his long ears fluttering like two flags caught in a brisk wind.

"Terriermon, don't tease him like that," Lopmon scolded, using one of his long ears to lightly smack Terriermon's left shoulder.

The two little rabbit digimon were curled up comfortably in Yolei's arms, but despite the smiles on their faces, they too were gazing uneasily at the remains of the fallen city beneath them.

"This city," Kari said softly, almost to herself. "I feel...I feel like we've come here for a reason. It's almost like, like we've been led here on purpose..."

_W-what? _

T.K. jerked his head up in surprise, his mouth dropping open in shock, and gazing at the female Digidestined in disbelief he said, "Kari, you...you feel it, too?"

Kari stared at him, her dark eyes widening in surprise, and clapping a hand over her mouth she gasped, "Then...it's not just me?"

_Earlier, I though maybe I was just imagining things, but if Kari can feel the same thing I feel then my suspicions about this city must be very real. I don't get it, why are we the only ones affected? Or are we?_

Almost against his will, T.K. turned slowly to look at Willis, and realizing the American Digidestined was gazing back at him, he felt his face heat up.

"Impossible," Willis said quietly, shaking his head in denial. "It can't be!"

If Davis hadn't been hanging onto him right at that moment, T.K. was sure he would have fallen off Pegasusmon's back, which would have undoubtedly ended in disaster, but thanks to the goggle-headed leader's firm grip on his waist he was able to steady himself without causing too much of a scene.

Even though Willis hadn't exactly admitted it in so many words, T.K. just knew the American Digidestined had also been affected by the city's strange pull and its mysterious aura.

_It's almost as if the city is calling to us... But why? And why are we three the only ones who can feel it?_

At least, to him that appeared to be the case.

"What's up with you three?" Yolei asked curiously, glancing first at him and then at Kari and Willis. "Is something wrong?"

"You think we've been led here on purpose? What do you mean by that?" Ken said sharply, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

Kari's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and avoiding Ken's eyes she murmured, "It's nothing. We should hurry before someone spots us."

"Yes, let's hurry please before I lose my nerve!" Tentomon insisted, hovering anxiously into the air before once again settling himself on Nefertimon's head.

"Let's land somewhere near the heart of the city," Izzy instructed. "Right at the centre would be best. If we're going to split up, it would be better to do so from a central starting point, and that way each of our groups can cover a certain section of the city."

"Yes, moving outwards to search the city from a central starting point would be best," Kari agreed, holding Armadillomon protectively against her chest. "Lead the way, Nefertimon. We've wasted too much time already."

"I hope we haven't been spotted," Nefertimon responded, anxiously tossing her head. "Pegasusmon, Halsemon, follow me."

"T.K., are you sure there isn't anything wrong?" Davis said quietly in his ear, glancing suspiciously at Kari.

T.K. quickly shook his head, and attempting to smile he said, "I told you, I'm fine."

"But-"

Ignoring the goggle-headed leader, T.K. turned to his partner and said, "Hurry up, Pegasusmon. You don't want to get left behind, do you?"

"If you insist, but I must agree with Davis. You are not acting like yourself, T.K."

_Great, even my partner has noticed. Well, that's no surprise. Everyone knows I'm a terrible liar. You'd think by now I would have learned how to keep my mouth shut, but no..._

Soaring high above the city, Pegasusmon quickly followed Nefertimon towards what looked like a huge two story mansion made up entirely of marble, and diving out of the sky, the three armoured digimon landed gracefully on the front lawn beneath the shade of a huge, ancient looking tree, one T.K. was unable to identify, since it did not look like any tree he had ever seen in the human world. For one thing, its leaves were gold, though the warm weather indicated that File Island was heading into its summer season, which wasn't really surprising because most of File Island was warm all year round, except perhaps further north in Frigimon's domain. Then again, the weather on File Island wasn't always dependable, since the Digital World did not always follow the same rules as the human world.

_And it's not just File Island. When it comes to the weather, all of the Digital World's four hemispheres can get a little crazy sometimes, regardless of where they're located._

In T.K.'s opinion, the tree looked oddly surreal, and although it was clearly at least a few centuries old, it still somehow gave an aura of being hardly older than a sapling. Fall appeared to be a long way off, and yet the tree had a wintry feel about it. Not only did it have leaves the colour of spun gold, but its bark was almost pure white, emphasizing its beauty. Beneath the warm rays of the sun, the tree looked almost as if it were glowing, and reaching up to touch one of its golden leaves, T.K. felt a small, almost imperceptible flutter in his stomach. There were several trees on the front lawn exactly like the one that had captured his attention, and together they appeared almost to be in mourning for the lost occupants of their fine city.

_This place...It looks like a palace for...for angels..._

"They're beautiful," Willis said quietly, stepping up suddenly beside him and reaching up to touch a gold leaf of his own.

For a moment the two of them just stood next to one another in silence, and without thinking T.K. murmured, "I feel...sad. I don't know why, but...this city makes me feel like I've lost something important..."

"Same here."

"W-what?"

Turning his head slightly to look at Willis T.K. gasped, "W-what do you mean?"

"Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what exactly?"

Willis hesitated, and turning his face away he mumbled, "Doesn't this city feel...sacred to you?"

_I don't believe it! He really does feel the same way I do! And Kari...she must feel it too..._

"T.K.?"

Gazing directly into the American Digidestined's pale blue eyes, T.K. smiled and said, "Yes, I do. I don't really understand what's going on, but...I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been affected by this place."

"What about Kari?"

Almost simultaneously, both T.K. and Willis turned to look at the female Digidestined, and realizing Kari was gazing intently at the crumbling remains of the marble palace, T.K. felt a small shiver race down his spine.

He didn't exactly feel afraid, it was more like his body was reacting to the electrical atmosphere hovering over the city's fallen remains.

_Kari...what are you thinking? If only I could read your mind. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so far away from you..._

"T.K.," Willis suddenly whispered quietly in his ear, reaching up to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I would help you, too."

"Huh?"

Willis stared at him, and lifting his chin the American Digidestined said coolly, "You keep saying you're fine, but I don't believe you."

"E-excuse me?"

"Isn't that what Davis was trying to say to you? I saw the two of you talking on Pegasusmon. If you attempt to do everything alone, it isn't going to do you any good. I know that from experience."

_Willis...he might not know exactly what's going on, but he can tell there's something wrong. Just like Davis, and Kari too, I think. Cody and Ken are probably suspicious as well, even if they haven't said anything so far. I'd better be more careful. If I give too much away, Yolei and Izzy will become targets of suspicion as well, and that's the last thing I need right now._

"Well?" Willis said softly, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze.

Without thinking T.K. blurted, "I-I'm fine, and I'm not alone. Not really."

"Oh...so that's how it is."

T.K. looked up in surprise and frowning at the American Digidestined he said uncertainly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"How am I any different from Davis?" Willis snapped, his pale blue eyes sparkling with sudden emotion. "I bet that's not what you said to him!"

Startled by the American Digidestined's sudden outburst T.K. said hastily, "That's not what I meant. I mean, it's not like that!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Willis, I...it's not..."

Willis quickly snatched his hand away and hurrying off to join Izzy at the base of the steps leading up to the doors of the crumbling mansion he said quietly over his shoulder, "If that's true then think about what I said."

_Willis..._

"T.K.?"

Jerking around in surprise, T.K. found himself gazing into Kari's amber eyes, and placing a hand on his arm she said softly, "Come on, we'd better hurry up and join the others. Izzy's waving us over and if we don't get moving Davis and Yolei will never let us hear the end of it."

"You're right. Sorry about that. I just...got a little...sidetracked..."

Kari glanced at Willis and shaking her head she said quietly, "I know. Let's go, T.K."

_Wait a minute, did she overhear my conversation with Willis? The others were definitely too far away to have heard anything, but not Kari..._

If that were true, then perhaps her interest in the mansion had merely been a facade, a way to make it look like her mind had been occupied by other matters when really she had been paying close attention to something else entirely.

_Namely me. Kari...have I lost both you and Willis?_

"T.K., this place is so pretty!" Patamon said happily, zooming into his arms and cuddling against his chest. "You think so too, don't you?"

T.K. blinked at his partner in surprise and smiling sheepishly he said, "Yeah, I do."

_No wonder Willis is so suspicious of me..._

Ever since Pegasusmon had landed in front of the mansion, T.K. had been so preoccupied with the city's ethereal beauty he hadn't even noticed his partner's transformation back into the rookie stage. Apparently Patamon had gone off to join Izzy with Davis and Veemon, leaving his partner behind, and in doing so T.K. had been left to stumble his way through a conversation with Willis. Even Terriermon and Lopmon hadn't been there to rescue him, since they had both been talking adamantly with Tentomon.

"What were you doing over there by that tree?" Patamon asked curiously, giving him an adorable smile.

T.K. felt his face heat up, and blushing a deep shade of red he mumbled, "Nothing. It's not...important."

"How very convincing," Gatomon said dryly, coming over to join her partner. "Are you ready to go, Kari?"

Kari gently stroked Patamon behind the ears and turning to smile down at her partner she said, "I'm ready."

"So, what's the plan, Izzy?" Davis asked, gazing expectantly at the computer expert.

"To me, this mansion looks like it was once an important building, especially since it's right at the heart of the city. If I'm right, then there should be a courtyard up ahead. We'll use that as our central starting point. We have a lot of ground to cover so I think it would be best if we split up into three groups. T.K. and Yolei can come with me; Cody, Ken, and Willis can go together, and, Davis, you can go with Kari. If anyone spots anything unusual, anything at all, inform the rest of us immediately via one of your D-Terminals, and the rest of us will join whichever group has come across something suspicious. If we don't find anything before dinner, we'll meet back up in the courtyard and try again tomorrow."

"But...by then it could be too late!" Veemon protested.

"I know. If it comes to that we could always contact Tai and get him to make up an excuse for our parents, explaining why we're going to be a little bit late. Either way, if we don't find anything before dinner we'll meet up in the courtyard and go from there. How does that sound?"

"Perfecto!" Yolei cheered, beaming at Izzy. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

_Izzy really knows what he's doing. Now the three of us will be able to look for clues about that email without worrying about the others finding out what we're up to._

Then again, maybe not.

Realizing all of a sudden that both Kari and Willis were staring at him, T.K. once again felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red. It was almost as if they knew Izzy had specifically chosen both him and Yolei for a reason...

"I like this place," Patamon suddenly said softly, catching everyone in the group by surprise, "even though it makes me feel kind of sad. I don't really know how to explain it, but I feel like I belong here."

"Whatever do you mean, Patamon?" Hawkmon asked curiously, exchanging a look with Armadillomon.

"We're not intruders," Gatomon said firmly, before Patamon could answer. "This city has welcomed us. Like Patamon, I feel connected to this place."

"It feels like a place I could call my own," Lopmon said shyly, peeking around his partner's legs. "It feels almost as if I've come home, to a place where I belong. Don't you feel it, Terriermon?"

Scratching his head in confusion, Terriermon said, "Can't say that I do. What about you, Tentomon?"

"Not really, no."

"Me either," Veemon chirped.

"Or me," Armadillomon said pleasantly.

Hawkmon fluttered his wings, and shrugging he said, "I can't say this place feels particularly special to me either. How peculiar."

"Are you sure, Patamon? I don't feel anything out of the ordinary," Wormmon insisted.

"Of course I'm sure! It feels really strong!"

"That's strange," Cody said thoughtfully, frowning. "I wonder why only three of our digimon can feel it. And didn't Kari say something about feeling strange earlier?"

"That's right!" Yolei gasped. "Kari, you said it felt like we'd been led here, and T.K. said he felt it too!"

"And what about you, Willis?" Davis demanded. "You were acting kind of funny earlier too."

T.K. felt his heart begin to pound rapidly in his chest, and unable to look away form both Kari and Willis he felt his mouth go dry.

_Could it be? Cherubimon...I almost forgot. Lopmon can become like...like Patamon and Gatomon. Could that have something to do with why the three of us feel so strange all of a sudden? Are we really connected, and if we are...could our digimon possibly be the reason why we feel so strongly about each other?_

"Well?" Davis demanded, gazing suspiciously at Willis.

Avoiding the goggle-headed leader's eyes Willis mumbled, "Let's just go. We're wasting time."

"But-"

"We can talk about this later," Izzy interrupted, pulling Davis along by the arm. "Right now we need to focus on finding Elecmon's babies."

"But, Izzy, this could be important!"

Holding Patamon tightly in his arms, T.K. quickly hurried after the others, and reaching the edge of the courtyard he came to an abrupt stop, his eyes growing wide in astonishment.

"Look!" Yolei gasped, pointing at the centre of the courtyard.

Izzy had indeed been right about there being a courtyard in front of the mansion, though the buildings around the square had obscured it from view, but what the computer expert hadn't anticipated was the huge fountain located right in the centre of the square.

The fountain itself was made up entirely of marble and it depicted three impressive digimon, all of whom were carved exquisitely, the sculptor having obviously taken great care to carve them as life like a possible. In fact, they looked almost alive in the light of the sun. They stood like silent guardians watching over the city, water cascading from their outstretched hands into the base of the fountain, and gazing at them T.K. felt a sense of awe and wonder. The digimon in the centre was Seraphimon, Patamon's mega form, and on his left stood Cherubimon, Lopmon's mega form. On Seraphimon's right was a female angel digimon T.K. had never seen before, but judging from her appearance, she too looked like a mega digimon.

"Ophanimon," Lopmon said quietly, gesturing with his ear towards the female digimon on the right. "I've heard about her before. She's one of Angewomon's mega forms."

_Seraphimon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon. Patamon, Gatomon, and Lopmon. This has to be a dream. I must be dreaming..._

T.K. suddenly felt Kari take his hand, and turning to look at her he gasped, "Kari, you..."

Kari smiled at him, and realizing at the same time that she was also looking at something over his shoulder he turned to find Willis standing directly behind him, catching him by surprise.

Together the three of them turned to gaze at the fountain, and squeezing his hand Kari said sadly, "I understand now. This city...this city used to be a home for celestial digimon."


	11. Trinity

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Another chapter finally! Sorry about the long wait. I know it's a bit short, but several of the ones coming up will be longer again. Enjoy!

Trinity

Chapter 10: Trinity

_T.K._

For a long moment, T.K. found himself unable to utter a sound, which wasn't all that surprising since Kari's words had caught him completely off guard, but the longer he stood there gaping at the three marble digimon towering above his head, the more he began to suspect that the female Digidestined was most likely right about the city and its former inhabitants.

Everything from the buildings to the fountain, and even the courtyard itself, seemed to suggest that the city, in its former glory, had once been occupied by a group of majestic digimon who appeared to have been capable of performing even the most impossible of miracles.

_Digimon like Seraphimon. No wonder Patamon feels so at home here, and the same is probably true for Lopmon and Gatomon. Kari must be right about the nature of this city because...well...because I feel the same way she feels. A home for angel digimon...That must be why Kari, Willis, and I feel such a deep connection to this place. Just like our partners..._

"Kari, are you sure?" Yolei asked hesitantly, glancing uncertainly at the dark-haired female. "I mean...just because the fountain depicts a bunch of angel digimon, that doesn't necessarily mean the entire city was once filled with their kind, does it?"

"I know it sounds a little crazy, but I'm not imagining things!" Kari insisted, her tone becoming much more urgent. "Look around you, Yolei! This city couldn't belong to any other type of digimon."

_Kari's right. This place has an unmistakable feel to it. Seraphimon...so much like my partner. Wait a minute, that thing beneath Seraphimon's feet. What is that?_

"Besides, Kari's not the only one who feels a special connection to this place," Gatomon interrupted, her paws clenching into tight fists. "How do you explain me? I also feel the pull of this city, and I think it comes from the faint presence of the celestial digimon who used to live here; a presence that, even now after all these years, still lingers within the walls of this ancient city."

Yolei frowned thoughtfully at the fountain for a moment, and crossing her arms over her chest she said uncertainly, "Maybe, but...don't you think it's still a little too early to be jumping to conclusions?"

"No," Willis interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We know what we feel, Yolei. It would be an insult to the digimon of this city to believe otherwise."

"What do you think, T.K.?" Cody asked slowly, his words suggesting he expected a reaction similar to that of both Kari and Willis.

Though he had heard Cody's inquiry, instead of responding, T.K. continued to gaze curiously at the base of the marble statue rising up from the centre of the fountain, his attention completely focused on the faint sparkle of something glittering in the sunshine just beneath Seraphimon's feet.

To him, the small object appeared to be embedded into the circular platform holding the three angel digimon erect, directly beneath the beautifully carved image of Seraphimon, and upon closer inspection he realized there were two similar objects resting beneath both Ophanimon's feet and Cherubimon's feet.

_Could it be? Impossible, I must be imagining things..._

Or was he?

From his position on the ground in front of the fountain, the three objects appeared to be quite small, and judging from the way the sun was glinting off their colourful surfaces, they all looked to be approximately the same size.

_There's just no way! Then again...they _do _look kind of familiar..._

A little _too _familiar for his liking.

In fact, they looked exactly like a small trinket he had once possessed and used to his advantage eight years ago, before having to give it up approximately six years ago.

An object he had thought for sure he would never see again...

_No way! It can't be!_

"T.K.?" Cody persisted, tugging nervously on his arm.

Ignoring the smaller boy, T.K. quickly climbed onto the edge of the fountain, trying unsuccessfully to keep himself dry, and leaping over the strip of clear water blocking his path to the statue in the middle, he landed on the circular platform located directly within the centre of the fountain, just missing the long, thin streams of water shooting out of Seraphimon's hands.

Without a single word to his startled companions, he knelt down just in front of Cherubimon's legs, his left hand clutching Seraphimon's left ankle for balance, and frowning thoughtfully at the statue looming above his head he leaned over Seraphimon's feet and proceeded to try and pry the object free from its marble prison, all the while working beneath the silent guardian standing protectively over the object's shiny surface.

"T.K., what are you doing!?" Yolei shouted furiously, placing her hands on her hips and glaring indignantly at him for emphasis. "Get down here right now! It's dangerous to go climbing on historical landmarks, especially when there's a good chance they could be bobby-trapped!"

"And you keep saying I'm too thick-headed and careless for my own good!" Davis snorted, elbowing the lavender-haired Digidestined sharply in the ribs.

"T.K.!" Patamon cried, soaring into the air and settling himself comfortably on Seraphimon's right foot. "What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself at all, and what exactly are you doing?"

Pointing to the object beneath Seraphimon's feet, T.K. murmured, "Look, Patamon."

"Huh? Look at what?"

"There! Below you."

Patamon frowned in confusion, obviously unsure of what was going on, but instead of asking any more questions, he obediently leaned over Seraphimon's feet, searching for the oject he was supposed to be studying with great interest. At first, he looked a little uncertain, but then his gaze came to rest on the small yellow object shining faintly in the sunshine, and letting out a gasp he whispered excitedly, "Oh! T.K., Is that what I think it is?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"Be careful," Patamon cautioned, his long ears twitching anxiously above his head.

Giving his partner what he hoped was a reassuring smile, T.K. quickly leaned over the edge of the platform, his gaze once again coming to rest upon the small object sparkling beneath his knees in the sunshine, demanding his attention.

_I can feel it calling out to me. It's almost as if it's speaking my name._

"Look, T.K.!" Patamon suddenly gasped, standing up on his hind legs and pointing eagerly at the shiny trinket, his small body quivering with excitement.

Jerking back in surprise, T.K. stared at the glowing trinket in astonishment, and slipping free of its marble prison the object of his attention proceeded to float directly into his hands, his fingers immediately closing around its warm, glowing surface. While prying at the object, it had refused to budge even an inch, and then surprisingly, of its own accord, without any kind of warning whatsoever, it had promptly decided he was worthy enough to be entrusted with such a valuable object after all.

And indeed, it was no surprise that the object of his attention had deemed him worthy because the small trinket resting in the palm of his hand was something that had belonged to him in the past, something he had sorely missed, though he had never put his feelings into words. It was a symbol of who he was, and knowing its significance and the meaning behind its construction, he felt a small smile appear suddenly on his face.

After six years it was finally his to hold again and he knew he had not stumbled upon it by accident.

"Is that really what I think it is?" Patamon whispered, leaning over to gaze curiously at the object T.K. had curled in his right hand.

In response, T.K. uncurled his fingers, showing Patamon the small trinket in his hands, and beaming at each other they both turned to smile back at Kari and Gatomon.

Indeed, it was exactly what T.K. had suspected he would find.

The Crest of Hope.

"T.K., what's going on?" Kari asked quietly, concern in her voice.

"Come and see for yourself."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Making his way back to the edge of the fountain, T.K. held out his hand to Kari, and smiling at the female Digidestined he said softly, "Here, take my hand. It won't come free from the statue unless you're the one who wills it to come free."

"T.K..."

"Hey, come on, don't you trust me?"

Kari stared at him, and slipping her hand into his grasp she said quietly, "Of course I trust you."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

To his surprise, Kari suddenly started to smile, and giving his hand a quick squeeze she said playfully, "Just don't let me fall into the water. I don't want to get wet."

"Don't worry, I'll hold onto you, but only if you hold onto me."

Kari's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink, and silently celebrating over his small bit of success, when it came to reaching Kari's heart that is, T.K. quickly pulled the female Digidestined up beside him, the two of them clinging to each other for support.

It was such a romantic setting, standing beneath the celestial guardians of the city, water streaming down into the fountain behind them creating a beautiful backdrop to complete the image, for an agonizing moment T.K. could barely stop himself from leaning over and pressing his lips against his female companion's in a passionate kiss, despite the watchful eyes of his friends and their digimon partners, but somehow he was able to keep his emotions in check, and tugging lightly on Kari's hand he proceeded to help the female Digidestined across the surface of the water, their heads just barely missing the streams of crystal clear water cascading into the fountain from Ophanimon's hands.

_Can she feel it too? This connection between us? It's stronger now than it's been in years._

"What is it you wanted to show me?" Kari asked softly, giving his fingers a tight squeeze.

Instead of answering, T.K. pointed to the crest beneath Ophanimon's feet, and recognizing it instantly for what it was, Kari let out a soft gasp, her amber eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either."

"T.K., is that really what I think it is?"

"Go on, take it. It belongs to you."

"He's right," Gatomon said firmly, hopping onto the edge of the fountain and leaping over the water to join them. "It's yours, so take it. I'd love to be Angewomon again."

Laughing, Kari leaned over Ophanimon's feet, and almost immediately her crest began to glow, responding instantly to her presence.

Like the Crest of Hope, Kari's crest pulled itself free from the marble pedestal, and floating leisurely into the female Digidestined's hands, it settled with a faint spark, the glow around it fading away until it disappeared altogether.

"Impossible," Izzy muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "How could your crests have possibly come back?"

T.K. quickly helped Kari step back over the water, and sitting down next to each other on the edge of the fountain they held out their crests to Izzy for inspection.

"I don't get it either, but there's no denying what's right here in front of us in plain sight," Kari said slowly, her amber eyes growing dark and serious.

"But, if your crests are here then...what about the other crests?" Tentomon interrupted, hovering anxiously next to Izzy's shoulder. "Do you think they might have come back, too?"

"I'm not sure," Izzy replied, gazing thoughtfully at the two crests in his hands, "but I don't see why they would, though it certainly is a possibility."

"What do you mean?" Davis snorted, rolling his eyes at the computer expert. "I thought you guys gave up your crests to create that barrier thingy over the Digital World. What was it, six years ago now?"

T.K. nodded in agreement and shrugging his shoulders he said, "We did, but...well, you can see the evidence for yourself. Obviously our crests are back, and I don't think they were put here by accident, just like I don't think it's a mere coincidence that we came here today, right to this exact spot."

"It's like we were meant to come here," Kari said quietly, almost to herself.

"Yes, but...I also feel like we've been led here for another reason. It's almost like there are two forces trying to pull us in different directions."

"Um, do you guys think we might be walking right into a trap?" Cody asked uncertainly, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "From what Kari was suggesting earlier, that's what it sounded like you guys believed to me."

"Well, whatever the case, we need to be careful," Izzy warned, glancing at each of them in turn. "If all of the crests have come back then there could be trouble. Crests don't just appear out of nowhere without a good reason."

"Yes," Ken murmured, obviously thinking about his own crest which Gennai had retrieved from the remains of the Emperor's old base and was now holding for safekeeping if Ken ever needed it again.

"Is something wrong, Ken?" Wormmon asked curiously, gazing uncertainly at his partner.

Ken hesitated for just a moment, looking almost afraid to open his mouth, and pointing hesitantly at the statue of Cherubimon he said nervoulsy, "If the crests beneath Seraphimon and Ophanimon belong to T.K. and Kari then...the crest beneath Cherubimon...who does it belong to?"

_I can't believe it! It's just...not possible._

Almost simultaneously, T.K., along with Kari, turned to gaze at the orange crest resting beneath Cherubimon's feet and exchanging a quick look, their eyes growing wide with astonishment, they both swiveled around to stare directly at Willis.

At the American Digidestined who was staring back at them, his face a mask of pure shock and utter disbelief.


	12. Believe

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I know it's been a while, but I've finally updated this story again! Hopefully you all haven't forgotten what's been going on!

Trinity

Chapter 11: Believe

_Willis_

Gazing in astonishment at the orange crest embedded into the platform beneath the statue of Cherubimon, Willis shook his head in denial, unable to believe the conclusion his friends had obviously come to based on what even he couldn't deny was overwhelming evidence, and although a part of him was excited about the prospect of receiving a crest he could call his own, at the same time he couldn't help feeling a horrible sense of dread.

_It can't be mine. There's just no way. I mean, I've never owned a crest before. What would be the point of giving me one now, especially when the Digital World is relatively peaceful? Is there something going on that we don't know about?_

"Willis? Hey, are you feeling okay?" Yolei asked hesitantly, placing a hand on his arm and gazing intently into his eyes.

Avoiding the lavender-haired Digidestined's scrutinising stare, he mumbled, "It...can't be mine."

"Why not?" Davis demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and making a face. "If anyone deserves a crest around here, it would be you."

"But I..."

"Who else, besides you, has a digimon with the potential to digivolve into Cherubimon?" T.K. asked quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Do the math, Willis. It _can't _belong to anyone else."

"But..."

"Come on, Willis, what's the big deal?" Terriermon demanded, bouncing happily onto the edge of the fountain next to Kari and beaming at the statue of Cherubimon. "You went through a lot four years ago. Like Davis said, I think it's only fair you receive a crest."

"Yes, I'd love to digivolve to ultimate," Lopmon said shyly, wiggling his ears. "And maybe someday I'll even be able to digivolve into Cherubimon. Only...this time we'll do it together. All of us. You, me, and Terriermon."

_Kokomon..._

Bending down to give both of his partners a squeeze, Willis said softly, "I think I would like that."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Cody asked simply, nodding his head towards the statue of Cherubimon.

"Don't you want to find out the truth?" Kari insisted, holding out her hand.

T.K. held out his hand, as well, and smiling he said pleasantly, "There's only one way to know for sure."

_My very own crest...Could they be right about me? Am I really deserving of a crest? After everything that happened to me four years ago, I just don't know._

"Come on, Willis," Patamon urged, a smile lighting up his small face.

"Yes, do hurry," Hawkmon huffed, impatiently fluttering his wings. "The babies won't rescue themselves, you know. We must make haste if we want to catch our thief before he disappears on us and we lose our trail."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Hawkmon."

"Not to worry. Unfortunately, time is of the essence so we need to move as quickly as possible."

_But...if the crest _is _mine then...what exactly does it mean?_

Gazing reluctantly at the two hands stretched out in front of him, Willis hesitated for just a second, uncertain of what he should do, and realizing instinctively that both T.K. and Kari were watching him closely, he blushed and quickly grabbed onto their outstretched fingers, trying unsuccessfully to hide his embarrassment.

Without a word, Kari and T.K. pulled him up onto the fountain, and standing between the two Japanese Digidestined he glanced warily at the crest embedded into the stone surface beneath Cherubimon's feet.

"Be careful stepping over the water," Kari cautioned, letting go of his hand and taking hold of his arm to steady him.

"Wait for us!" Terriermon cried, scurrying towards him and tugging anxiously on the leg of his jeans.

"We're coming with you," Lopmon said firmly, tugging on his other leg.

_Figures. They never let me down._

Keeping a firm grip on T.K.'s arm for balance, Willis waited until his partners were settled comfortably on his shoulders before stepping carefully over the water sparkling brilliantly in the sunshine, and crouching in front of the marble statue of Seraphimon, he hesitantly leaned over Cherubimon's feet for a closer look at the crest.

It was indeed orange, perhaps a slightly darker shade of orange than Tai's crest and the symbol on it looked kind of like a five pointed star with a circular ring in the middle and two crisscrossing diagonal bars overlapping in the circle, the ends of the bars sticking out on the sides of the star between all four points on either side.

It was a beautiful crest, and gazing silently at its shiny surface, he couldn't deny that despite the sudden uneasiness in his heart, he wanted badly for the others to be right about it being _his_ crest.

"It's so pretty," Lopmon whispered, gazing at the crest in awe.

"There's no turning back now. Go for it, Willis," Terriermon urged, hopping up and down in excitement.

Aware of the fact that both T.K. and Kari were still watching him, Willis quickly grabbed onto the edges of the crest, intending to pry it loose with his hands, but when it wouldn't budge he slowly sat back and lowered his eyes to the ground, ashamed at his obvious failure.

"You mean...it doesn't belong to Willis?" Veemon said slowly, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"But...it has to!" Izzy protested, clearly surprised and a little bit offended by the crest's unwillingness to respond in the proper fashion. "This is inconceivable! I mean, logically the crest _can't _belong to anyone else."

"You're right, Izzy, I'm quite surprised myself," Ken murmured, gazing thoughtfully at the statue of Cherubimon, a slight frown on his face.

"So...now what?" Tentomon interrupted, glancing anxiously at his partner.

"The crest _does _belong to Willis," T.K. said firmly, his words catching Willis by surprise. "There's just no other explanation."

"But then...why doesn't it want to respond to him?" Wormmon asked. "Both you and Kari were able to get a hold of your crests quite easily."

_Maybe it's because I'm not anything like T.K. and Kari after all. Maybe...maybe everything I think I'm feeling when I'm around them is just my imagination_ _playing tricks on me..._

"Willis?" Kari asked softly, concern evident in the tone of her voice.

Willis quickly turned his face away, unable to look at the female Digidestined, but before he could step back over the water, T.K. suddenly crouched down next to him, the golden-haired Digidestined's lips twitching into an encouraging smile. "Listen, Willis, the only reason it's not working is because you don't believe it belongs to you. Do you remember what happened with Davis and the Digi-egg of Friendship?"

"Do you guys really have to keep bringing up every stupid thing I do all the time?" Davis grumbled, making a face.

_That's right. I almost forgot!_

Feeling suddenly a little more confident, Willis smiled hesitantly at T.K. and said, "I remember the stories, but do you really think it will be that simple?"

"Of course. Don't you trust me?" T.K. asked quietly, avoiding his eyes.

A sudden stab of guilt pierced Willis' heart, and blushing he mumbled, "I trust all of my friends."

_With my kind of background you can't afford to take your friends for granted..._

"Willis..."

Willis felt T.K.'s hand come to rest gently on his shoulder and quickly pulling away, he said hastily, "I'd better get this over with fast or Elecmon might never see his babies again."

T.K. looked like he was about to say something in return, but before the golden-haired Digidestined could sort out his thoughts Willis quickly leaned over the water again, his fingers coming to rest against the shiny surface of the crest calling out to him from beneath the stone statue of Cherubimon. He could almost hear it whispering his name, and the feel of its smooth surface against the palm of his hand caused a shiver to race down his spine.

_I have to believe it's mine. I have to believe I'm worthy of a crest. Kokomon, Terriermon...I need to believe for you guys. For all of us!_

"Look!" Patamon suddenly gasped, leaping into Kari's arms for a better look at what was going on and nodding his head towards the crest. "It's starting to glow!"

"I knew you could do it, Willis!" Terriermon cheered, wiggling his ears in excitement.

"It's beautiful," Lopmon murmured, gazing in awe at the crest.

Mouth dropping open in surprise, Willis felt T.K. grab the back of his shirt to prevent him from sipping off the edge of the platform into the water, and holding out his arms he watched in astonishment as the crest floated leisurely into his hands, acting for all the world as if it hadn't refused to budge only mere moments ago.

"See? I told you it belonged to you," T.K. said softly in his ear, low enough to prevent the rest of the Digidestined from overhearing their conversation.

Unsure of how to respond, Willis quickly jumped to his feet and motioning for T.K. to follow him, he said hastily, "We should get back to the others."

"Lead the way."

_I don't get it. He sounds so...cheerful all of a sudden. Is it something I did?_

Stepping back over the water, Willis sat down next to Kari, and holding out his crest to Izzy, he said hesitantly, "What do you think?"

"I have to admit, it is a bit of a surprise," Izzy said slowly, examining the crest carefully and holding it up to the light, causing the sun to reflect off its shiny surface. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not surprised you received a crest, I'm just surprised there are any crests here at all, since eight out of nine of them, make that ten now, are supposed to be acting as a barrier to protect the Digital World."

"What do you think it means, Izzy?" Yolei asked curiously, frowning thoughtfully at the orange crest in the computer expert's hands.

"Whatever it means, it can't be good," Gatomon sniffed, impatiently flicking her tail. "If the crests are here then it means the Digital World must be in some kind of danger, especially if new crests are being made."

"We don't know that for sure!" T.K. snapped, catching the feline digimon off guard.

Willis turned to stare at T.K., who was sitting on his left, in surprise, and scratching his blond tresses in confusion, he said uncertainly, "Um, T.K.?"

"What's with you?" Gatomon demanded, glaring indignantly at the golden-haired Digidestined.

Realizing everyone was watching him, T.K. quickly mumbled, "It's nothing. Look, let's just go find Elecmon's babies."

"Every crest has a meaning," Ken suddenly said quietly, his expression unreadable. "Willis, what do you think might be the meaning behind your crest?"

_Good question, Ken. I wonder that myself..._

Reaching out to take the crest from Izzy's hand and avoiding Ken's deep blue eyes, he said slowly, "I'm not sure, but...whatever it might mean, I hope it means something good."

"I'm sure it does," Kari said confidently, giving him an encouraging smile.

On his left, T.K. didn't respond, but Willis could tell from the look on the golden-haired Digidestined's face that he was deep in thought.

_T.K...I wonder what he thinks my crest might represent._

"Well, now that we've gotten what we came for, even though it wasn't something we were looking for in the first place, are we ready to move on?" Armadillomon asked pleasantly, completely unruffled by the sudden turn of events that had just taken place.

Tugging hesitantly on Izzy's arm, Willis said in a rush, "Honestly, Izzy, what _do_ you think all this means?"

_Why? Why would I be the one to receive a crest? Why not Davis, Yolei, or Cody? There must be a reason..._

For some odd reason Izzy glanced at T.K. and shaking his head, the computer expert said slowly, "I"m not quite sure myself yet, but like Gatomon said, there's one thing we can't deny. Nothing happens here in the Digital World without a reason, which means we need to keep our eyes open, just in case."

"Sounds good to me. If we're all ready then let's split up and get this over with," Davis ordered, nodding his head for emphasis. "If we don't find those babies Elecmon will never let us back into Primary Village again, which would stink because the food there is awesome."

"Is that all you're worried about!?" Yolei shouted, smacking the goggle-headed leader on the back of the head.

"Remember," Izzy warned, "if you spot anything unusual, inform the rest of us immediately via your D-Terminals and we'll all join up with you for backup. If we don't find anything before dinner, we'll meet back up here in the courtyard."

"Got it! Come on, Kari, let's go east" Davis said enthusiastically, motioning for the female Digidestined to follow him.

"Do you even know which direction would be considered east?" Yolei snorted, frowning suspiciously at the goggle-headed leader.

"Of course I do! Besides, er...Kari probably knows, which means I'm not going to get lost if that's what you're worried about."

"Knowing you, you'll still find a way to get lost, even _with_ Kari's help!"

"Don't worry, Yolei, I'll look after him," Kari laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

"See?" Davis shouted triumphantly, glaring at the lavender-haired Digidestined. "Not so smart now, are you!"

"Um, Davis, no offense, but I think you just lost this round," T.K. laughed, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunshine. "You might want to get going before Yolei really gets angry!"

"But-"

"Come on, T.K., let's go," Yolei interrupted, turning her back on the goggle-headed leader. "You too, Izzy."

"I'm right behind you," Izzy replied, shaking his head at Davis.

"Are you ready to go, Willis?" Ken asked quietly, his sapphire eyes following T.K.'s back as the golden-haired Digidestined quickly hurried after Yolei and Izzy, disappearing from sight.

"I'm ready."

_He's watching T.K., just like me._

"I hope we find the babes as soon as possible," Cody murmured, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Me too," Ken agreed, though he didn't sound all that optimistic.

Despite their uneasiness, though, Willis barely heard their words He was too busy staring at the spot T.K. had just vacated to pay attention to what his friends were saying, his mind lost in thought.

_T.K...he knows something. I can feel it. I wonder...T.K., what exactly are you hiding?_


	13. Mystery Crest

Disclaimer: I still do not own Digimon.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but the new chapter is here. I know it's kind of short and boring, but I promise future ones will get better. Also, I promise I'll recheck the chapter again for any mistakes because for some reason spell check isn't working.

Trinity

Chapter 12: Mystery Crest

_Willis_

Hiding his newly discovered crest tightly in his hand and gazing uncertainly at its sparkling orange surface, Willis shook his head in disbelief, still not quite able to understand why he, of all people, would have been chosen to receive a crest, especially since there were so many other Digidestined who deserved one just as much as he did.

Though he could no longer deny that the crest did indeed belong to him, he still couldn't help wondering if perhaps maybe there had been a mistake.

_Why me? Why not Davis, Yolei, or Cody?_ _When it comes to the Digital World, they're much more experienced than I am. I don't get it. Am I really...worthy enough to receive a crest?_

Ignorant of the crest's true nature, since it currently had no name, in his head Willis had secretly begun to call it the Crest of 'Mystery', which in his opinion was the only name that seemed appropriate at the moment.

_I wonder what it could mean..._

Kari and T.K. might believe his crest held a special meaning, but deep inside his heart he wasn't quite so sure.

_Light, hope, and...what? I just don't know_...

"I don't see anything yet," Cody said quietly, his dark eyes scanning the tops of the buildings for any sign of movement. "What about you guys?"

"Nothing," Ken replied, shaking his head in frustration. "I hope Davis and the others are having better luck than we are."

_T.K., Kari..._

Avoiding the raven-haired Digidestined's eyes, Willis muttered, "I doubt it."

"T.K. might be having more luck than Davis!" Cody laughed, smiling in amusement.

_Speaking of T.K..._

Unsure of whether or not he should say anything, since doing so might end up casting suspicion upon himself as well as T.K., Willis said hesitantly, "Hey, guys, do you get the feeling that T.K.'s been acting a little strange lately?"

_I need to know. It can't just be me who can sense it. He definitely hasn't been acting like his usual self, and not only that, I can tell he's hiding something._

"What do you mean?" Wormmon asked curiously, glancing uncertainly at his partner.

"Well, I mean...don't you get the feeling he might be...you know...hiding something from us?"

"If he is, I don't think he's the only one who's keeping secrets from us," Cody said slowly, his dark eyes narrowing in concentration. "Kari's been acting pretty funny lately too, and though it might not be that obvious, I think Yolei might also be hiding something from us."

Glancing at the younger boy in surprise, Willis said, "Really? But...that doesn't make any sense. Yolei's not exactly the secretive type. Why would she, of all people, be trying to hide something from us?"

"I'm not sure, but...the day you arrived in Japan, just before we came to meet you at Davis' house, Kari, T.K., Yolei, and I had plans to meet in the computer room after school. When Kari and I got there, T.K. and Yolei were acting kind of odd. I can't really explain it, but I get the feeling something must have happened, something they don't want us to know about. Also, though Kari never mentioned the incident to me, I'm pretty sure she feels the same way I do."

Frowning, Willis said hesitantly, "So...you think Kari, T.K., and Yolei are _all _hiding something from the rest of us?"

"Yes, but they might not all necessarily be hiding the same thing and I think some of them might have more than one secret. There's obviously something going on between T.K. and Yolei, but whatever it is, Kari obviously doesn't know about it. At the same time, I think they're might be something going on between T.K. and Kari."

"And you, Willis," Ken interrupted, his sapphire eyes growing dark and serious. "Whatever the three of you aren't telling us, it's something Yolei doesn't know about either."

_I wonder...the connection I feel between T.K., Kari, and myself... Can the others feel it? Is it really something that's powerful enough for the others to pick up on?_

Bushing slightly, Willis ducked his head to avoid having to look at either of his friends, and holding his new crest tightly in his hand, he mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Willis, are you okay?" Lopmon asked anxiously, exchanging a worried look with Terriermon.

"I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me."

"But...you're not acting like your usual self," Terriermon protested, shaking his head in denial. "We're worried about you."

_Did they maybe notice my confrontation with T.K. after all?_

Willis crouched in front of his two digimon partners, the corners of his mouth turning up in a reassuring smile, and stroking their ears, he said softly, "I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me."

"I take it that means you're not going to tell us what's wrong?" Cody asked dryly, shaking his head in amusement.

"I told you, I'm-"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything right now," Ken suddenly interrupted, kneeling next to him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But...at least promise me you'll tell us when you're ready to."

"Ken..."

"I know first hand what it feels like to allow the darkness building inside your heart to consume you," Ken said quietly, gazing solemnly at his feet. "And so do you, I think. You said it yourself. Maybe not exactly the same way, but the feeling is the same. Don't make the same mistake again, Willis. I wouldn't want you to end up like I did..."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Willis took a moment to calm himself and returning Ken's comforting gesture of affection, he said quietly, "Thanks, Ken. There's still a lot going on that I don't understand, but maybe once I'm able to make sense of things, I'll be better able to explain what I feel."

"Just don't push T.K. and Kari so far away you won't be able to find your way back to them again."

The words were so quiet, Willis just barely heard them, and jerking his head up in surprise, he gasped, "W-what?"

_Impossible! Does he...could he possibly know how I really feel about T.K. and Kari?_

Ken suddenly leaned close to him, the raven-haired Digidestined's sapphire eyes burning with emotion, and whispered, "You might not see it, but I think they care about you more than you realize, more than you could ever hope to understand. You have to read between the lines, Willis. Don't be fooled by what you alone believe to be the truth. The answers are there, if you have the courage to seek them out. That's something Davis taught me and I think now might be a good time to pass on the message. You never know, it might prove to be useful to you sometime in the near future."

Nodding his head, Willis glanced uneasily at Cody, but thankfully it didn't look as if the younger Digidestined had overheard Ken's cryptic words.

"You don't think what T.K. and the others are hiding might have something to do with Elecmon's babies, do you?" Armadillomon asked pleasantly, glancing curiously at his partner.

Cody shook his head and said slowly, "I don't think so. T.K. and Yolei were already acting a little strange _before _we found out about Elecmon's babies, and the same is true for Kari. Whatever they're hiding, it must be a bunch of things we don't know about yet."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, I think they might not be the only ones who know something. And when I say that, I don't mean you, Willis," Ken said quietly, a thoughtful look on his face. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that Izzy immediately chose T.K. and Yolei to accompany him, especially since I would have expected him to at least have Davis in his group over T.K.?"

"You mean because T.K.'s usually more responsible than Davis, especially since he's less likely to do anything dangerous?" Cody laughed, a smile lighting up his face.

Shaking his head in amusement, Willis said dryly, "So, in other words, T.K. doesn't need a babysitter the way Davis does?"

"From Izzy's point of view anyway," Ken replied, smiling slightly.

"Are you saying you think Izzy might know what T.K. and Yolei are hiding from us?" Wormmon asked hesitantly, glancing anxiously at his partner.

"I'm not sure, but when we first arrived in the computer room earlier, T.K, Izzy, and Yolei were the only ones in there, and although they didn't really look like they were doing anything suspicious, I couldn't help feeling as if they were hiding something. They did look like they'd been having a pretty serious conversation before we arrived, and don't you think it's a little bit too convenient that the three of them had the computer room all to themselves? It didn't take us _that_ long to get there, despite Davis and his tendancy to let time slip away from him. Yolei and T.K. must have rushed to meet up with Izzy before the rest of us could get there. Izzy might not know exactly what's going on, but he must know somethng."

"I agree," Cody said seriously, reaching down to give Armadillomon a pat on the hard shell covering the rookie's back. "Hopefully the others will tell us what's going on pretty soon, including Kari, but in the meantime we have a digimon to find."

"Well, we're not going to find him strolling along the street right out here in the open," Terriermon said confidently, crossing his small arms over his chest and nodding his head for emphasis. "A digimon who's smart enough to steal Elecmon's babies isn't going to give away his hiding spot that easily."

"Assuming he's still in the city," Ken murmured, shaking his head in despair. "Well, Terriermon, since you appear to have a better handle on the situation than the rest of us, what do you suggest we do?"

"If we want to find that evil baby snatching fiend, I say we should check all the buildings and alleyways, since places like that aren't right out in the open, which means they make for better hiding spots. If he is still in the city, he must be lying low somewhere because a huge group of baby digimon wandering around the streets of an old city isn't exactly the type of thing even Davis could miss very easily!"

"You know, it's not very nice to make fun of Davis all the time," Lopmon scolded, giving Terriermon a disapproving look.

Smiling softly at the little rookie, Ken said gently, "Davis can take it. T.K. and the others only make the comments they do because they care about him so much. I'd be more worried if they didn't crack jokes about him once in a while."

"Besides, he makes his fair share of comments about the rest of us, too," Cody added, giving the little rookie a reassuring smile.

Turning to Terriermon, Ken said in a more serious tone, "Where do you think we should look first?"

"The alleyways. They'll be the easiest to check. If we don't find anything there we can start checking the buildings, which will definitely take us a lot longer than checking the streets will. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and we won't have to check the buildings, but considering the way our luck has been going lately..."

"Don't even say it," Lopmon moaned, trying unsuccessfully to cover his large ears with his tiny hands.

"Lead the way, Terriermon," Wormmon said happily, beaming at the little rookie.

Leaping onto Ken's shoulder and pointing towards the first ally leading off the main street, Terriermon shouted, "Full speed ahead!"

"Keep your voice down," Cody scolded, poking the little rookie sharply in the shoulder. "You don't want Elecmon's adversary to hear us coming, do you?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

Shaking his head in exasperation, Willis waited until Lopmon was settled comfortably on his shoulder before joining Ken at the front of the group and thinking back on what the former Emperor had said to him earlier, he felt a small shiver race up and down his spine.

_Now that Ken and Cody suspect there might be something wrong with me, what am I going to do? Then again, I'm sure T.K. and Kari know there's something going on so I guess the others knowing the truth really doesn't change anything. It's obvious Ken knows for sure there's something bothering me, but I don't think he understands what it is any more than T.K. and Kari do. But...if Kari and T.K. _do_ feel the same way I do then they know exactly what's going on, which doesn't make things easier for me..._

"Willis, are you sure you're fine? You might want to take a nap later, just in case," Armadillomon suggested, though he didn't look particularly concerned, despite his unexpected outburst. "Having a nice nap once in a while always works for me. You should try it sometime."

Giving the little rookie a weak smile, Willis gently stroked Lopmon's left ear, his thoughts drifting back to their earlier discussion about Izzy. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it hurt to think that the computer expert might be hiding something from him, but if Ken was indeed right about Izzy, Willis knew his friend must have a good reason for wanting to keep what he knew a secret for the time being.

_If Ken's suspicions are correct, then that means T.K., Yolei, and Izzy are all hiding the same secret, but if that's the case then where does that leave Kari? She obviously has a secret of her own, one that might be similar to one of the several secrets T.K.'s obviously hiding, but neither one of them seems to realize they have the same secret; a secret I'm sure Izzy and Yolei don't know about. A secret that just might be the same secret I'm hiding..._

Frowning at the crest in his hand, Willis felt his stomach flutter, and closing his fingers around its shiny orange surface, he anxiously shook his head in confusion.

_My crest. What could it mean? There must be someone out there who knows..._


	14. A Leader's Advice

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

**A/N: Well, first of all I just want to apologize for taking so long to write a new chapter for this story. I know it's a short one, but that's due to the fact that it's really the next chapter after this one where things will start to get interesting and the story will pick up. I'm not exactly sure how many chapters this story will have, but we'll get to the end eventually. I suspect this story will be of average length by the time it's done. Not sure when the next chapter will be, but I will get onto writing it as soon as possible. I'll check the chapter again for mistakes, and also I do tend to eventually edit the entire story to fix some minor grammar mistakes I've been noticing in earlier chapters. That's it for news at the moment. FTFOD fans, you'll be next!**

Trinity

Chapter 13: A Leader's Advice

_Kari_

"We've been all over this section of the city and still nothing!" Davis groaned, making a face. "That evil baby snatching digimon sure is sneaky. At this rate, we're never going to find him or the babies!"

Kari, who was walking quietly next to the goggle-headed leader down a narrow back street lined with overgrown flower beds, let out a soft sigh, her amber eyes studying the tall buildings on either side of the stone walkway. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Davis was right, and the longer the whereabouts of Elecmon's babies remained unknown, the more anxious she grew to find them.

Something didn't feel right, and though T.K. had been trying to hide it earlier, she knew he felt the same way. The whole incident with Primary Village and the missing babies, and even the fallen city itself. Though she did not doubt the crests had been calling to them, there was something else pulling their strings. Something entirely different from the crests.

Something dark. Something evil.

_But what could it be? The Digital World's been really peaceful for a long time now. Why would that suddenly change, especially right when Willis decides to stay here in Japan? Does he somehow have something to do with what's going on here in the Digital World? Could he possibly...maybe be...in danger?_

"Kari? Hey, Kari."_  
_

_ It seems a little too convenient to just be a coincidence, especially now that some of the crests have returned. For Willis to get a crest now, after all this time...I mean, he hasn't been to the Digital World in four years. Whoever or whatever put those crests there, how did they know he would be coming back here right at this very moment when it's been so long? How did they know he would be here in Japan, which is the only country where there are D-3 Digivices, allowing him to once again come to the Digital World? Whatever is going on, it must have something to do with Willis, and maybe T.K. too. And...maybe even me, since we're the three who received the crests..._

"Kari? Hey, you in there?"

Kari looked up, jumping slightly as Davis waved a hand in front of her face, a surprisingly concerned look in his dark eyes. "Huh? Oh...sorry, Davis. You were saying?"

"Well, I did ask where you think we should go next, but...uh...you don't really look so good. Maybe we should take a break or something."

At this sudden declaration, Kari raised her eyebrows, a smile finally coming to her face. "That wasn't exactly a compliment, you know."

"Typical Davis," Gatomon sniffed, rolling her eyes. "You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself, don't you."

"You know what I mean," Davis replied, giving the female champion a rather impatient look. "Come on, let's go sit on those benches by that funky looking garden over there."

Sighing in defeat, Kari surrendered her arm to Davis, and tugging lightly on her wrist he led her beneath an intricately carved archway covered in golden vines and white flowers, their feet carrying them towards the main street where several benches stood guarding the colourful arrangement of flowers on display. The garden stood in the centre of the brick road, the circular path branching off into several smaller streets, and gazing at the arrangement of white, pink, and gold flowers, to Kari they appeared to act as silent sentinels watching over the empty streets of the city.

"Is this about T.K.?" Davis asked bluntly, sitting down next to her on the closest bench, his dark eyes fixing her with a steady gaze.

Kari stared at him in surprise, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, you know," Davis grumbled, making a face. "You get all weird whenever he's around, and...well, you've been worse than usual ever since Willis showed up. What's the deal?"

Kari could feel the goggle-headed leader watching her, and bowing her head, she proceeded to stare at her hands clasped together in her lap, uncertain of how to respond. She wasn't exactly sure what Davis was trying to get at, and his words confused her. Did he know how she felt about T.K., or was he talking about the golden-haired Digidestined's strange behaviour recently? And more importantly, did he know that Willis appeared to be at the centre of most of what was going on lately?

_Has he noticed the tension between T.K., Willis, and myself? Davis always manages to get along with everyone, no matter who they are, and it makes me wonder if he really understands how hard it is for others to emulate him, since friendship comes so easily to him. If you only knew, Davis, how much I wish I could be more like you..._

Deciding to play it safe, Kari glanced at Davis and said softly, "I've never thought you were stupid. Stubborn, yes, and sometimes a bit too rash, but never stupid."

Davis looked momentarily surprised by her words, and shrugging his shoulders he mumbled a quick thanks before returning to the conversation at hand. "Listen, there's something up with T.K. You noticed it too, right?"

Kari tensed at this, doing her best to keep her expression neutral. "Yes, he has been acting a bit strange lately."

"Any idea what's going on with him?"

Kari sighed, her heart feeling suddenly heavy inside her chest. "I wish I knew."

_I wish he would tell me. All my suspicions mean nothing if he won't trust me enough to tell me the truth._

Kari suddenly felt Davis slip an arm around her shoulders, and leaning against him, she gave him a grateful smile, though it did not diminish the sadness in her amber eyes. For someone who tended to act a bit clueless on a daily basis, it was amazing how easily Davis could tell when someone was hurting inside, and being Davis, he could never just sit back and do nothing when someone he cared about was suffering.

Which was why she currently found herself leaning on him for support, the relief at being able to share the burden she was carrying and the horrible fear in her heart making her somewhat calmer and better able to think through all of her problems in a more sensible manner.

"I tried to ask him about it, but he wouldn't tell me," Davis grumbled, a slight frown on his handsome face. "I'd help him if he'd just tell me what's wrong..."

"He will eventually," Veemon spoke up, giving his partner an encouraging smile. "It's not just you."

"Obviously whatever he's hiding, he's keeping it from everyone, even Cody," Gatomon added, exchanging a meaningful look with Veemon.

The two digimon were sitting comfortably next to each other on the low border of stones surrounding the garden, and watching them, Kari muttered without thinking, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"Huh?" Davis replied, looking down at her in confusion.

Kari quickly raised her head from his shoulder, and avoiding his dark eyes, she said, "It's nothing..."

_Or is it? Yolei and Izzy know something. I know they do..._

"Uh, Kari...look," Davis said slowly, scratching the back of his head. "It sounds like there's a lot going on that I don't know about, and I just...It doesn't really bother me exactly, but...if someone's going to end up getting hurt, I want to be there to help, you know?"

"Davis..."

"I'm not asking for all the secrets, but if there _is_ something I can do to help, I don't want to be left totally in the dark."

Kari wasn't quite sure what to say to that, and overcome with emotion, she hugged him tightly around the shoulders, her head burying itself against his neck. "I'm sorry, Davis. I...I just wish there was an easy answer for all of this. I don't really know how I feel, and now with the Digital World possibly being in danger..."

"Oh that," Davis snorted, returning her hug and shifting slightly so he could more easily wrap his arms around her waist. "What are you worried about? Come on, Kari, the Digital World has been in danger before and each time we've always been able to teach the bad guys a lesson they'll never forget. How is this time gonna be any different? You just leave worrying about the Digital World to me and focus on what you have to do to sort out all those annoying thoughts in your head. You gotta learn to think more like me, Kari."

"Really? I didn't think your brain was capable of something as strenuous as thinking," Kari teased, tugging on her friend's goggles.

"Very funny. You know what I mean. You gotta stop worrying so much. Less thinking, more action. Don't use your head so much. That's what the heart's for, am I right?"

Kari pulled back slightly, and reaching out to give her friend's hand a grateful squeeze, she said, "You're right. Thanks, Davis."

"So...you and T.K. You guys gonna hook up soon, or what?"

_Huh?_

Kari blinked at the goggle-headed leader, her eyes widening in shock. "S-sorry? I don't know what you-"

"You know you have a thing for him, so just tell him already, why don't you," Davis interrupted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I keep telling her the same thing, but she never listens," Gatomon informed the goggle-headed leader, her tail twitching lazily in the breeze.

"Gatomon!"

"Well, it's true."

Kari ignored her partner, and feeling rather embarrassed, she mumbled, "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Veemon asked curiously, looking rather confused. "I don't get it. Why do humans always make things more complicated than they have to be?"

"He does have a point there," Davis insisted, smiling fondly at his partner.

"But-"

"I don't know what the big deal is. It's obvious T.K. likes you back," Davis snorted, nodding his head for emphasis.

That made Kari pause, the words she had been about to say dying instantly in her throat. "You...really think so?"

"Duh, would I say something like that if I didn't mean it?"

"Did he...tell you that?"

"Not exactly, but come on, it's kind of obvious."

"I don't know about that..."

"You don't want him to end up with somebody else, do you?"

At those words, Kari felt a sudden sharp stab of pain in her chest, and seeing the look on her face, Davis pulled her back into a hug, an apologetic look in his steady gaze. "Well, say something then. If he's going to be a wimp and not say anything to you first, then you have to say something to him. I don't like seeing you guys all...you know, moody and sad, and stuff."

"What about you?" Kari asked softly, pulling back so she could look directly into his dark eyes.

Davis shrugged, a half smile on his face. "I'll live."

_Davis..._

Kari returned the hug, a small frown on her face. "Davis...I...you know, I mostly just want you and T.K. to be good friends."

"We are," Davis assured her, giving her the thumbs up. "Uh...don't tell him I said this, but I'll admit he's a pretty cool guy, and you know...I'm kinda worried about him as much as I'm worried about you."

"I know. Davis, could you promise me something?"

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Could you just...stick close to T.K. for me, please? Don't let him worry too much. And if you could do the same for Willis, I would really appreciate it."

Davis looked beyond confused, but he nodded all the same, a smile on his face. "I don't really get it, but...if that's what you want."

"Thanks, Davis."

"No problem. Uh...I guess we should probably get going, huh? Those baby digimon aren't going to save themselves, as awesome as that would be. Seriously, I'm getting sick of all the walking. It's making me hungry, and if we don't hurry up soon, I'm gonna starve to death."

"Me too!" Veemon said enthusiastically, leaping up and tugging on his partner's jeans to get him moving.

"Is that all you two ever think about?" Gatomon scolded, her tail twitching in annoyance. "Those baby digimon are more important than your stomachs. If Elecmon could hear you now..."

Kari started to laugh, and pulling Davis to his feet, she motioned for him to follow her down the next closest street.

Though she still had her fears, speaking to Davis had definitely made her feel better, though she wasn't sure yet if she could bring herself to believe what he had said about T.K.

_Could T.K. really care about me after all this time, even though I was the one who pushed him away without meaning to?_

Hope had always been more T.K.'s thing than hers, but even so she found herself wanting to believe. Not only would all of her dreams come true, but they would also stand a better chance of bringing Willis into their circle if they could put up a united front to gain his trust.

She still had no idea what was going on with T.K., Yolei, and Izzy, or what was going on with Willis, but there was one thing she was sure of. Whatever was going on in the Digital World, Willis and T.K. needed her, and she knew, somewhere along the line, she was going to need them too._  
_


	15. Mind Games

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. What a sad day this is...

**A/N: Well, I've been horrifically busy, but despite that I have persevered and here is a new chapter! Up next will be a new Digimon Chronicles chapter (featuring a familiar face), FTFOD of course, and a oneshot story for all you Gilgamesh fans of the Dissidia realm. Have fun reading!  
**

Trinity

Chapter 14: Mind Games

_T.K._

The moment T.K. was sure his group had moved out of sight from both Cody's group and Kari's group, he turned to regard Izzy with an expectant look on his face, wondering just what the computer expert had in store for them next. "I take it this means we can finally start looking around a bit to see if we can find out any more about that weird email Yolei received?"

Izzy nodded, and frowning thoughtfully at his partner, he said slowly, "Hey, Tentomon...you haven't seen anything unusual around here lately, have you? I mean, anywhere here in the Digital World by any chance?"

Clearly confused, Tentomon exchanged a quick look with Hawkmon before deciding to answer. "No, nothing out of the ordinary that comes to mind. How about you, Hawkmon?"

"I can't recall having seen anything unusual. Patamon?"

Patamon scrunched up his small face in concentration, and hovering in the air next to Yolei's shoulder, he turned to regard the city with a more critical eye. "I don't think so. The only funny thing that's happened around here lately is what's going on right now in this city. Why do you ask, Izzy?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story."

"So much for that idea," Yolei grumbled, making a face. "I thought asking our partners would help, but they don't know any more than we do."

"And somehow I don't think we're going to run into any other digimon in this city that we can ask either," Izzy agreed, a sigh escaping his lips.

T.K. had to admit, he was a bit disappointed. He'd been hoping their digimon had seen something, even the slightest clue of suspicious activity, but unfortunately it looked as if that wasn't the case. Their digimons' responses had been genuine, which meant they were still no further ahead than when Yolei had first received that mysterious email.

_Now what?_

T.K. once more turned his inquiring gaze on Izzy, but instead of giving him a satisfactory answer, the computer expert merely shrugged and said, "There's nothing more we can really do except to keep on searching for Elecmon's babies. Maybe once we know more about the situation, it'll give us a clue that we can link back to Yolei's email, if the two are connected that is."

"What email?" Tentomon asked curiously, clearly confused.

Izzy responded by giving his partner a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, Tentomon, but I think it might be best for us to explain after we find Elecmon's babies. Something might happen that will give us a better understanding of what's going on around here, if there is anything going on, which we don't know for sure yet."

"Sounds fishy," Patamon replied, the dissatisfaction in his tone of voice not going unnoticed by T.K. "I'm really confused. The Digital World has been really fun and peaceful lately. Are you trying to say that something bad his happening here?"

"If that's the case I must say it's a bit worrisome," Hawkmon murmured, nervously rustling his wings. "Especially since there are no visible signs of conflict or disorder here in the Digital World."

Watching the three digimon, T.K. could sense their growing unease, and pulling Patamon into his arms, he nuzzled the little rookie against his chest and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Patamon. Like Izzy said, we don't know yet for sure if there is anything going on yet. There's no need to worry. Yolei just received a pretty...interesting email the other day, that may or may not be linked to the Digital World, so we're doing a bit of investigating to find out. It could be related to the Digital World, or it could mean nothing at all. We're just trying to be cautious, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Patamon asked, studying him closely. "You haven't been acting like yourself today, and I'm worried about you."

So Patamon had noticed. He should have expected that. The little rookie was his partner, after all. T.K. hated withholding the truth from his partner, but he didn't want Patamon to worry in case they were making a big deal out of nothing.

_But is it really nothing?_

As much as T.K. wanted to think so, he knew he was only lying to himself every bit as much as he had just lied to Patamon. That email was directly related to what was currently happening in the Digital World with Elecmon's babies. He was sure of it, but how were they going to prove the two were somehow linked?

"Since we don't really know what's going on yet, could you three keep this to yourselves for now, just until we can make more sense of what in the Digiworld is happening around here?" Yolei asked, giving the three digimon a stern look.

"I don't know..." Tentomon said slowly, once again glancing anxiously at Hawkmon.

"You mean...we can't tell Veemon or any of the others?" Patamon asked, looking less than thrilled with the idea of keeping secrets from his friends.

"Just until we can find a clue that will lead us in the right direction," Izzy insisted, unhappy with his own choice of words, but sticking to the plan regardless.

It was Hawkmon who answered for the three digimon, though he didn't appear to be sure of his response. "If that's what you want, we won't say anything, but as I don't like keeping secrets, I suggest we hurry up and find this clue you're looking for as soon as possible. The Digital World's safety might depend on it, and that is something we can't just ignore, regardless of your reasons for wanting to keep silent."

"You're right," Izzy agreed, smiling at Hawkmon to show he understood. "In that case let's hurry up and keep moving. We want to cover as much territory as we can before we're due back to meet the others."

"Here's to hoping we can find something out before then," Yolei said cheerfully, though her tone indicated she wasn't all that hopeful about their chances.

Falling in step beside Izzy, Yolei keeping pace on his other side, T.K. glanced anxiously at his surroundings, the celestial atmosphere of the city pressing down on him like a heavy weight, acting as both a blessing and a burden resting on his shoulders. At first, the city had seemed serene and peaceful, a silent guardian giving testament to the celestial digimon who had once lived within its walls, but now, gazing at the empty streets and buildings, the city's haunting streets felt oppressive an watchful, as if unfriendly eyes were gazing at them from the shadows. Even the atmosphere no longer felt familiar. Instead it felt ominous and dangerous.

Evil.

T.K. shivered, and forcing himself to look straight ahead, he did his best to ignore the prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

Someone was watching them.

_There's no way this can't be a trap. Even though the crests might have brought us here, there's definitely something else out there pulling our strings. It's almost like we're being tested, but...who is there left in this world who would want to put our strength and resolve into question?_

He wished he had an answer, but so far one still eluded him.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

T.K. had never been one to ignore the feelings in his heart, and his instincts were telling him they were walking right into a trap. What sort of darkness had the nerve to threaten such a beautiful city, especially one that had already suffered at the hands of evil before?

They had only been walking for about an hour, weaving through the deserted buildings and tiptoeing up suspicious looking alleyways when Yolei suddenly stopped, an odd look on her face. "Hey, did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hawkmon asked.

Yolei hesitated before answering. "I thought I heard something up ahead, coming from...one of the buildings maybe?"

T.K. froze, immediately taking Yolei's words to heart. At the moment they were huddled in a very narrow alley with a dirt walkway instead of brick or stone, and there were several doorways leading into the buildings on either side. Most of the walkway was overgrown with flowers that looked like white daisies and the marble buildings were coated with golden vines. Currently all was silent, and T.K. wondered if perhaps Yolei had only imagined hearing something, which would be understandable, due to the fact that they were all on edge.

"Are you sure, Yolei?" Patamon asked, hovering anxiously next to her shoulder. "I don't hear anything."

"Me either," Tentomon agreed.

"Thanks for the support, guys," Yolei said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, I swear I heard something."

T.K., for his part, didn't know what to believe. He hadn't heard anything himself, but Yolei wasn't the type to make up stories just for the fun of scaring people.

"Why don't we take a look then?" Izzy suggested, frowning as he studied the empty buildings on either side of the alley. "We'll start with the buildings closest to us and then we'll alternate doors on both sides of the ally as we move further up the street."

"That sounds like a fine plan," Hawkmon agreed, nodding his head in approval.

"Just remember, we need to be cautious," Izzy warned. "Everyone stay on your guard and stick together. We don't want to get caught by surprise."

"Or get separated," Patamon added, anxiously fluttering his large ears.

T.K. quickly fell in behind Izzy, who had taken the lead, and poking their heads through the first door on the left they didn't find anything of particular interest. With sparse furnishings and a spiral staircase leading to the rooftop, it looked almost like some kind of stakeout post or guard house, which T.K suspected was in fact what the building had originally been meant for, especially now that they were getting closer towards the edge of the city. The door on the right proved to be just as useless as the one on the left, and continuing on they proceeded towards the next set of doors on the left.

"See?" Yolei suddenly hissed, grabbing Izzy's arm and pulling him to a stop. "There it is again."

"Yolei, I don't-"

"Stop talking and just listen."

Izzy looked ready to protest, but before he could utter a sound Yolei clamped a hand over his mouth and pointed to another door on the left about three doors down from where they were standing. Looking confused, Izzy listened for a moment, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

T.K., deciding not to test Yolei's patience, especially considering the death grip she had on Izzy, strained his ears to listen, and eyes growing wide he finally heard what Yolei had picked up on earlier.

What sounded almost like a strange scuffling noise appeared to be coming from one of the buildings up ahead. It was faint, which was why they had missed it earlier, but once heard it was a sound that could quickly become very annoying. It reminded T.K. of the sounds a restless audience would make while waiting patiently for the source of their entertainment to begin, whether it be a movie, play, or concert. The shuffling of feet, the shifting of restless bodies, and an electric current of anticipation filled the air. It was making T.K. nervous. Very nervous.

There was something moving in one of those buildings, and by the sounds of it, there was more than one occupant.

"Um...guys? I don't think we're alone here anymore," Patamon whispered, doing his best to keep his voice as low as possible.

"I do believe Patamon is right," Hawkmon spoke up. "Perhaps we should digivolve?"

T.K. shook his head and moving slowly forwards, he said, "Not just yet. Let's first find out what we're dealing with before we do anything too hasty. Come on, everyone."

Together the group moved forward slowly, and huddling behind Izzy, Yolei whispered, "I think it's coming from the building on the left."

T.K. nodded in agreement, and moving cautiously towards the door, he stuck his head inside, squinting through the shadows in order to spot anything unusual. What he saw made him straighten up in surprise.

"What is it, T.K?" Patamon asked, hovering protectively next to his shoulder.

T.K. glanced at his partner and said, "I think we just found Elecmon's babies."

"Seriously? Yolei gasped, stepping around him to poke her own head through the door. "Wow, you're right, but..."

"Where is the digimon who supposedly stole the babies from Primary Village?" Hawkmon finished.

_Good question..._

T.K. frowned, and glancing once more around the large empty room he hesitantly stepped inside the doorway, Izzy and the others following behind. All of the baby digimon were huddled together in the far corner of the room, and every so often they would move restlessly, as if they were asleep and having bad dreams.

As soon as T.K. stepped inside the room he knew immediately that something was wrong "Izzy..."

"I know, I feel it too. Something's not right here."

"What are you talking about, Izzy?" Yolei snorted, stepping forwards and holding out her hand to the baby digimon. "Hey there, little guys, we've been looking all over for you."

"Be careful, Yolei," Tentomon cried.

"I don't understand. Why aren't they moving or responding?" Patamon whispered nervously, a frown on his face.

Just then one of the baby digimon turned to face them, and letting out a gasp of horror, T.K. quickly grabbed Yolei's arm and yanked her back towards him and away from the baby digimon.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Yolei complained, stumbling back into his chest.

"Yolei, look. Look at their eyes." Izzy said quietly, pulling out his Digivice.

By this time all of the baby digimon had turned to face them, and T.K. felt his heart sink. Normally baby digimon were cute and cuddly, but these ones looked to be the complete opposite. Instead of being relaxed and happy, these baby digimon were stiff and rigid, and all of them had strange, glowing red eyes.

"That is not normal," Tentomon said weakly, moving quickly to his partner's side.

"Well, this certainly is a most alarming situation," Hawkmon remarked, turning to Yolei. "What do you think has happened to them?"

"I don't know, but when I find out who did this we're gonna teach him a lesson or two he'll never forget!" Yolei said indignantly, taking what had happened to the baby digimon as a personal insult.

"I think maybe we'd better head back outside," Izzy said quietly, looking worried. "If I'm not mistaken, we're being set up. This definitely looks like a trap to me."

"But...the baby digimon!" Patamon protested.

Reaching out to give his partner a quick hug, T.K. said, "Izzy's right. We don't want to be stuck in this confined space if something happens."

"But-"

"We're not abandoning them, if that's what you're worried about," Izzy interrupted. "But...we do need to regroup."

T.K. quickly ushered Yolei towards the door, ignoring her protests, and stepping back out into the sunshine, he turned to Izzy to ask him what they should do next, but before he could open his mouth another voice interrupted him.

"Going somewhere?"

T.K. let out a gasp, and whirling around he spotted a large digimon blocking the entrance leading back to the main street. The new arrival stood like a human, but his appearance gave him the look of a dark overgrown lizard.

"DarkLizardmon," Izzy supplied, his eyes narrowing into a deep frown. "Champion level virus type and not a digimon I'd prefer to mess with."

_Leave it to Izzy to know exactly what we're dealing with. All that research he's done on the Digital World over the years is really starting to come in handy._

"You!" Yolei snapped, pointing an accusing finger at DarkLizardmon. "You're the one who stole those babies from Primary Village, aren't you!"

"Who did you think it was, a Sukamon?" DarkLizardmon snorted in response.

"What did you do to them, huh? Answer me!"

"Well..." DarkLizardmon said slowly, savoring the taste of Yolei's anger, "it wasn't me exactly, but I can't say I'm not satisfied with the results. Are you sure you want to rescue those baby digimon? They might not take too kindly to being moved."

"What nonsense is this?" Hawkmon demanded.

DarkLizardmon shuffled closer, and pointing to the building where the baby digimon were still huddled together, he said, "If you think those baby digimon will want to go back with you to Primary Village, think again. Thanks to a little bit of help from the powers of darkness, so to speak, they obey only me now. One wrong move and they'll tear you apart in seconds. Of course, you could digivolve to defeat them, it would be only too easy, but seeing as how you're the Digidestined and all, could you really find it in your hearts to attack a bunch of innocent baby digimon? Could you really bring yourselves to destroy them without a second thought?"

Moving Yolei gently to the side, T.K. stepped forward to glare at DarkLizardmon, the horror and disgust in his heart turning quickly to anger. "You monster."

"You planned for this exact situation, didn't you," Izzy said calmly. "You knew we would never attack the babies, and you're using that to your advantage."

"How very perceptive of you," DarkLizardmon replied, nodding his head in approval. "Do nothing or be destroyed. Those are your options."

"What now?" Tentomon asked anxiously.

"He's right!" Yolei moaned, slapping a hand against her forehead. "We can't attack those baby digimon..."

T.K. nodded in agreement, and though he was hesitant to voice his opinion, he said, "But if they attack us first..."

"T.K.!" Patamon gasped.

"I don't like it any more than you do, Patamon, but...we can't help them if we're dead. We can't just sit back and do nothing while they rip us to shreds."

"But..."

"We have to save them, but how?" Tentomon wondered. "How do we do it without hurting them?"

"We might not have a choice," Hawkmon sighed. "Like T.K. said, we might have to hurt them in order to stay alive and give ourselves a chance to help them."

T.K. quickly pulled out his D-Terminal, and typing quickly, he mumbled, "I'm sending messages to Davis and Cody. Keep DarkLizardmon distracted while I contact our reinforcements. At this rate, it looks like we're going to need them."

Izzy nodded in agreement, and looking amused, he said, "I think Yolei's doing a pretty good job of that without my help."

"You! You're so going to pay for this!" Yolei shouted at DarkLIzardmon, puffing herself up in a fury. "How dare you make innocent baby digimon suffer like that!"

"I don't get it...How is he able to control them?" Hawkmon wondered.

"Yeah, tell us!" Yolei snapped.

"That's my little secret," DarkLizardmon cackled. "And if you think I'm going to tell you, forget it."

"So you _are_ controlling them," Tentomon cried. "That's...that's so evil!"

"Well, not me exactly, but whatever," DarkLizardmon replied, shrugging his shoulders. "You guys are starting to bore me and you're annoying. I think it's time I shut you up permanently, if you get my drift."

Yolei was about to shout a response, but a sudden shuffling noise stopped her before she could open her mouth.

Turning, T.K. glanced back at the building where the baby digimon were hiding and he froze, the worried expression on his face matching the one Izzy wore. The babies were no longer in the house anymore. Instead they had crowded into the alleyway and they were slowly advancing towards them, their glowing red eyes glittering in the sunlight.

"Uh...guys..." Izzy murmured, "I think we're in trouble."

T.K. chose not to respond. After all, Izzy was right. They were indeed most definitely in trouble.


	16. Three Become One

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything in it, which would include Willis. Insert sad face here.

**A/N: Well, it's been a little while, but I am back with another chapter for this fic! And just to let you all know, once we get into the next day that's when things will really start to get interesting!  
**

Trinity

Chapter 15: Three Become One

_Willis  
_

"Well...so much for your idea, Terriermon," Cody sighed, frowning as the group exited yet another empty building, one that like the several before it had failed to produce any baby digimon. "It was a good plan, but if this keeps up we're never going to find Elecmon's babies."

"Or even a clue as to where they might have disappeared to," Lopmon added, his long ears drooping slightly at the thought.

"Hey now, there are still lots of buildings we haven't checked yet!" Terriermon protested, frantically waving his small arms in the air for emphasis. "We can't give up just yet. So all the alleyways proved to be useless, I admit it, but that doesn't mean the buildings won't-"

"We're not questioning your judgement, Terriermon," Ken interrupted, smiling softly in amusement. "But...you can hardly blame us for being a bit skeptical. After all, we're running out of time to look before we have to meet up with Izzy and the others, and I don't like the idea of going back empty-handed."

Willis, who was standing next to Ken, nodded quietly in agreement, his pale eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. He didn't like the idea of disappointing Elecmon any more than Ken, but if there was simply no evidence to be found...

"Why don't we take a short break and then continue on?" Armadillomon suggested, glancing hopefully at his partner. "It might help to boost out spirits a bit."

Cody was about to reply when his D-Terminal gave off a sudden beep, and flipping it open his face seemed to perk up a bit as he glanced at the screen.

"An email?" Wormmon asked, gazing expectantly at Cody.

"It's a message from T.K."

_A message from T.K.?_

Willis immediately felt a small stab of fear in his heart, and trying unsuccessfully to hide his uneasiness, he said quietly, "What does it say?"

Cody let out a soft gasp as he read quickly through the message, his green eyes growing wider the further down the screen his gaze traveled. His reaction immediately put Willis on edge, and finishing the email, the youngest member of the Digidestined said hastily, "T.K. and his group have found Elecmon's babies."

"Well...that's good, isn't it?" Lopmon asked hesitantly, glancing uncertainly at Terriermon as he spoke.

"Not exactly. According to T.K., the babies have somehow become...possessed or something, and the one who captured them, a DarkLizardmon apparently, is somehow forcing the babies to attack T.K and the others."

"What?" Ken gasped, gazing at Cody in disbelief. "Possessed? How?"

"No idea, but we'd better meet up with them right away. Sounds like they're in desperate need of our help."

"Well, at least we no longer have to look for the babies," Armadillomon offered helpfully, giving his partner a weak smile.

"But I wanted to be the one to find them!" Terriermon grumbled.

Willis, who was still trying to digest all of Cody's words, said quietly, "But if they're being attacked does that mean...we're gonna have to fight the babies?"

"Come on, Willis, " Cody said gently, taking his arm and pulling him over to Wormmon. "We don't have any time to waste."

The fact that Cody had avoided answering his question wasn't lost on Willis, but he let that slide for the moment. The younger boy was right. They didn't have any time to waste, and no doubt T.K. and the others were in a lot of danger.

"Ken, Wormmon, would you guys mind doing the honours?" Cody asked, snapping his D-Terminal shut and shoving it out of sight.

"Not at all," Ken replied, pulling out his D-3 and turning to his partner. "You ready, Wormmon?"

"Of course. Wormmon digivolve to, Stingmon!"

Willis waited patiently as Stingmon hoisted him onto his shoulder, setting him next to Cody with his two digimon clinging securely to his neck, and Ken, who was holding Armadillomon in his arms, was lifted onto Stingmon's other shoulder, a look of concentration on the former Emperor's handsome face.

"Where to?" Stingmon asked, looking to Cody.

"Start heading northeast. That's where T.K.'s signal is coming from."

Nodding, Stingmon quickly set off at a brisk pace, and keeping a firm grip on Cody's arm Willis proceeded to brood in silence.

In the manner of Shakesphere, to fight or not to fight. That was indeed the question. If they did nothing, the baby digimon would be sure to overwhelm them by sheer numbers, but if they chose to fight, how many innocent babies were bound to get hurt? How many would possibly end up being deleted? Willis didn't even want to think about it. The nature of the fight both saddened and angered him at the same time, and it was all because of some DarkLizardmon who seemed to think it was fun to push around a bunch of baby digimon. Why would some random digimon do such a terrible thing? Or perhaps...there was something more sinister at work that they had yet to discover.

_Don't think about that! Next you'll be jumping at shadows. But...this does seem like a setup. A trap using the baby digimon to lure us here. Who is this DarkLizardmon who's trying to cause us trouble, and more importantly...is he the only one we have to worry about, or are there others working with him, setting the weaves to catch us in some giant spider web? Is this all a clever ploy to snare us in an elaborate trap of some sort?_

"Cody! Over here!" a familiar female voice called out to them, sounding both happy and relieved to see them.

Willis looked up just in time to see Kari, Veemon, and Davis on Nefertimon soaring towards them, and Kari, the one who had spoken, raised her hand in greeting.

Willis could tell immediately from the anxious look on Kari's face that she and Davis had received the same message from T.K., and clinging to Kari's waist, Davis called out, "You guys got an email from T.K. too?"

"That's right," Cody called back, pulling out his D-Terminal again and pointing at it for emphasis. "Looks like we've got trouble."

"I'll say. Being attacked by a bunch of possessed baby digimon sounds pretty serious to me. Can you guys believe that DarkLizardmon? He's probably enjoying every second of it, too. What a jerk."

"Don't worry we'll set him straight!" Terriermon called back, giving Davis a quick thumbs up.

"You bet we will. No one snatches a bunch of baby digimon under my nose and gets away with it. Come on, Nefertimon, we better hurry!"

"Right," the female digimon replied, nodding to Davis and picking up speed.

Stingmon quickly followed after her and shaking his head in amusement, Willis murmured to himself, "I bet he's mostly annoyed because he's starving and there's a chance he might miss dinner."

"That sounds like Davis," Cody laughed, overhearing his words.

It was an unsuccessful attempt to lighten the mood, and as they continued towards T.K.'s signal, Willis felt Cody give his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

_What are we going to do?_

The sound of Yolei's shrieks alerted them to the fight and the fact that they had evidently reached their destination, and hovering in the air perched on Stingmon's shoulder Willis gaped at the scene he was witnessing down below.

T.K., Izzy, and Yolei stood with their backs to each other in a tight circle, trying to protect their faces from the baby digimon who had become adventurous enough to leap at them, and Aquilamon, Kabuterimon, and MagnaAngemon were standing in a circle around their partners, attempting to block the baby digimon from reaching the humans. The babies themselves had T.K.'s group completely surrounded, and it was obvious MagnaAngemon and the other two digimon were reluctant to attack the baby digimon. They were doing a decent job of blocking the babies from reaching their partners, but occasionally one would slip through their defences, and T.K. and the others would be forced to protect themselves from bites, scratches, and bruises. Normally baby digimon weren't technically that powerful, but whatever had possessed them seemed to have given them a boost of strength, which was allowing them to become a much more serious threat than they otherwise would have been.

Leaning casually against a building was the DarkLizardmon T.K. had mentioned in his email, and judging from the look of glee on the digimon's face, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"T.K., over here!" Davis called out, waving to get the blond's attention.

T.K. glanced up and immediately the anxious expression on his face changed to one of relief. "Davis!"

"Where have you been?" Yolei shrieked, placing her hands on her hips. "In case you didn't notice we could use some here here!"

"Hold your digihorses, would you?" Davis shouted back, rolling his dark eyes at the lavender-haired Digidestined. "Would it kill you to say thank you for once? We got here as fast as we could."

"Forget it! Just get down here already!" Yolei squealed, leaping back and bumping into Izzy as a baby digimon attempted to bite at her ankles.

Stingmon and Nefertimon landed just outside the circle of baby digimon, and leaping to the ground, Digivice in hand, Willis turned to his partners and said, "You guys know what to do, right?"

"Right! Terriermon digivolve to, Gargomon!"

"Lopmon digivolve to, Wendigomon!"

"You too, Nefertimon!" Kari called out, holding out her Digivice.

Nefertimon quickly turned back into Gatomon, and changing digivolution lines she digivolved again, this time into Angewomon. Stingmon and a newly evolved ExVeemon merged to become Paildramon, and Armadillomon digivolved to Ankylomon.

As one, the digimon quickly joined MagnaAngemon and the others to help keep the baby digimon at bay, and without any regard for his own safety Willis attempted to reach T.K. and the others in the centre of the circle, only to be stopped by Ken's hand on his arm. "Willis, wait! We can't go rushing in there. If we get caught in the circle like the others, it's going to make it that much harder to both help the baby digimon or to retreat if it becomes necessary."

"But..."

"Ken's right," Davis insisted, grunting as he tried to hold a struggling Kari back from attempting the same action Willis himself had tried. "We don't want all of us to end up being trapped with no way out."

"We need to think this through carefully," Cody agreed, glancing suspiciously at DarkLizardmon, as if afraid he might try something to make the situation worse.

"We don't have time!"

The words burst forth out of his mouth before Willis could even think about what he was saying, and breaking away from Ken's grip he raced towards the baby digimon.

At the same time Kari had broken free from Davis, and Willis could see her struggling to catch up with him. He managed to catch her hand as she came up behind him, and pulling her with him through the crowd of baby digimon, wincing slightly as they attempted to jump at his legs, the two of them ducked under MagnaAngemon's wings before he could stop them and joined T.K., Izzy, and Yolei in the centre of the circle.

"Kari, Willis, you guys should have stayed back," T.K. scolded, catching Kari around the waist as she flung herself at him.

"And leave you to face this all on your own?" the female Digidestined shot back, burying her face against his shoulder. "What are we going to do? If we hurt the babies..."

"I know," T.K. said grimly, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "But...we can't let ourselves get killed either."

"I don't think we have much of a choice about what we're going to do now," Izzy sighed, looking regretful. "Our digimon won't be able to hold off all those babies forever, and if we let them overwhelm us we'll not only all end up dead, but we'll also lose any chance we might have had of helping them too."

"This really stinks!" Yolei shouted, shaking her fist at DarkLizardmon. "I'll make you pay for this you overgrown lizard!"

_Can we really bring ourselves to hurt the babies?_

Willis was starting to feel a bit sick to his stomach and the look on DarkLizardmon's face wasn't helping his mood any. The evil champion was positively gloating at them.

"You," Willis said quietly, his hands clenching into tight fists. "How could you do something like this?"

"I just do what I'm told," DarkLizardmon cackled, stepping away from the wall and advancing slowly towards them. "Those babies are going to tear you ll to pieces, and the best part is all I have to do is sit here and watch."

_Wait...so...does that mean he's actually working for someone else and this crazy plan to steal the baby digimon isn't his own?_

"We're not going to let you get away with this!" Yolei shouted, glaring at DarkLizardmon.

T.K., in an effort not to become too distracted, had gently handed Kari over to Yolei, and the two girls were clung to each other for support, making Willis believe that T.K. was also trying to distract Yolei to keep her from doing something rash.

_Who would order DarkLizardmon to do such a thing?_

Willis kicked out his leg in a effort to dislodge a particularly furious Nyokimon and grabbing onto T.K.'s arm, he whispered in the blond's ear," Are we really going to fight the babies?"

T.K. turned to him to look at him, and Willis wasn't surprised to see the sadness in his friend's clear blue eyes. "I don't see how we have any other choice."

"No!" Kari cried, shaking her head in denial and hiding her face against Yolei's shoulder. "No..."

"I'm sorry, Davis, but at this rate we're not going to be able to hold the bulk of the babies back much longer," Paildramon called out regretfully, struggling to keep a group of them from slipping through his legs. "The more we try to stop them the stronger they seem to get."

"I know, but still..." Davis trailed off, looking a bit uncertain of what to do.

As far as Willis knew, when it came to the Digital World Davis rarely ever became hesitant. He knew about the time with the Digi-Egg of Friendship, but since then Davis had been nothing but a solid pillar of reassurance for his fellow Digidestined. During their time in New York, Willis had been fortunate enough to witness that strong and rather stubborn side of Davis, so to see the goggle-headed leader acting so uncertain now proved just how serious the situation was.

It was hard enough to delete a digimon who was evil or being controlled by evil, but to delete little baby digimon who innocent by nature...

"Forgive me, Kari, but we have no choice," Angewomon said quietly, summoning her bow.

Kari slowly lifted her head and Willis was dismayed to see tears in her eyes. The ache in his heart increased and all of a sudden he just knew he could not let those baby digimon suffer at his own hands.

_No, I can't hurt them! I won't hurt them._

Willis found himself moving before his brain had a chance to catch up with him, and if it wasn't for Izzy grabbing his arm he would have run right out of the circle and straight at DarkLizardmon.

"Willis, wait," T.K said softly, taking his other arm and talking rapidly in his ear. "Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, but we can't put ourselves at risk."

"We can't just sit back and let him get away with this either!"

T.K. continued to stare at him, and all of a sudden Willis felt a sense of understanding pass between them. T.K.'s eyes were full of pain and sadness, and Willis could tell his blond friend hated their situation just as much as he did. It was just too much for Willis to take. To see T.K. and Kari suffering...it was eating him up inside, and those baby digimon... He had never felt this helpless before, at least not since what had happened to Kokomon, but this time he felt completely powerless to do anything.

Even Davis and his other friends wouldn't be able to help him this time.

_No..._

Willis felt his legs give out, and sinking to his knees he flinched as a baby digimon slammed into his shoulder.

He didn't have the heart to move or even respond.

_So many baby digimon who are hurting. Babies just like Kokomon..._

Willis felt a sudden warm touch on his shoulder, and he turned to see T.K. kneeling next to him, his friend's blue eyes sparkling with sympathy.

On his left Kari had flung her arms around him in a uncharacteristic display of affection, and she buried her face against his shoulder and whispered softly, "We can't give up. There has to be a way."

"Kari's right," T.K. agreed, shaking his head. "I...it's not like me to give up so easily. I'm sorry, Willis."

_There must be a way to stop this peacefully. We have to believe._

Gasping, Willis grabbed T.K. and pulled the blond towards him, the golden-haired Digidestined's head just barely missing the attention of another baby digimon, and at that moment Willis happened to glance at the crest he held tightly in his hand, which he had apparently been squeezing unconsciously all this time, and with Kari curled against him and his arm around T.K.'s shoulder, he suddenly felt the most peculiar sensation begin to stir inside his heart.

"Willis, we can't hold them back anymore. We're gonna have to fight!" Wendigomon warned, his tone indicating how much he loathed the idea.

_Believe. We have to keep believing. We can't lose faith_!

And that was when it hit him.

Faith.

_Light, hope, and...faith!_

Without warning a huge burst of orange light erupted from the crest in his hand, and everyone, including DarkLizardmon and the baby digimon seemed to freeze in astonishment.

"What is the meaning of this?" DarkLizardmon demanded, immediately growing suspicious.

Willis could not answer. He was completely captivated by the light emanating from his crest, and as he watched it in awe, it continued to grow brighter.

"What's happening?" Kari asked softly, lifting her head to gaze at the brilliant glow.

Willis glanced at T.K., who had shifted slightly against him, and their eyes met. "Did...I really do that?"

T.K. smiled at him and nodded. "I guess you were right after all. We can't give up. We can still help them!"

Willis gasped as a beam of bright yellow light shot out of the crest hanging around T.K.'s neck, almost blinding him with its brilliance, and to his surprise it began to mingle with the light from his own crest. As he watched the two swirl together to become a glowing pillar of radiance, his heart began to swell with an odd sensation that he couldn't quite identify. At that precise moment, Willis suddenly began to feel a swirl of emotions that he immediately recognized were not his own. Clear, strong, patient, and steady, it was a shock to realize they were coming from T.K., and underneath those feelings was something deeper. A whisper of affection and an almost shy hesitation, as if T.K. were relucant to reveal the true feelings hidden deep inside his heart.

_Are those feelings...for me?_

Most of all, though, he could feel T.K.'s heartbeat thumping in sync with his own.

_I wonder if this was what it felt like for Davis and Ken when Paildramon was born..._

"I won't give up either!" Kari announced, her voice gaining strength with each word. "I won't let anyone hurt those baby digimon!"

And suddenly two became three.

The pink light from Kari's Digivice joined the column of orange and yellow, and all of a sudden Willis felt a second heartbeat begin to keep pace with his own and that of T.K.'s.

Kari's emotions began to weave into him, and to his surprise they were quite similar to T.K.'s, though the feel of her was more sweet and girlish compared to T.K's boyish charm, but it was the same fleeting affection and shy hesitation lurking beneath her feelings, and it was then that Willis realized Kari and T.K. could most likely feel his emotions too.

At first that alarmed him, but his concern faded when he realized he could also feel the intense emotion surging between Kari and T.K., which sparkled like a current of electricity through him. He was pretty sure he knew what it meant, but the nature of it didn't make him feel embarrassed, nor did he feel like and intruder witnessing something he had no right to be a part of. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, and he felt honoured to be a part of it because deep down inside it felt like T.K. and Kari had invited him to be a witness to the feelings stirring in their hearts.

"This feeling, this power," MagnaAngemon murmured, turning towards his partner and raising a hand to his chest. "I have never quite felt anything like it before. It almost feels like a healing tonic."

"Power," T.K. said slowly, his eyes widening in surprise. "Our power! Healing power! That's it! Kari, Willis, concentrate and direct your power towards me!"

Willis could not have said why he agreed so quickly, since he didn't have a clue what was going on, but instead of asking questions he merely did as he was told and pointed his crest at T.K. Kari did the same, and their column of combined light streamed into the child of hope, who appeared to be absorbing it into his body. He started to glow in flashes of pink, orange, and yellow, much in the same fashion as Willis and Kari were glowing, though Willis had only now just become aware of the column of light engulfing him. He watched as T.K. pointed his crest at MagnaAngemon, allowing the column of light to flow into his digimon partner, and lifting his chin, MagnaAngemon called out in a clear voice, "Magna Antidote!"

"It looks different than usual," T.K. murmured, causing Willis to glance at him curiously. "Huh?"

Willis watched as a strange powder made up of sparkling pink, gold, and orange dust settled over the baby digimon, and to his astonishment their crimson eyes began to turn back to normal, and instead of continuing to attack they merely glanced around in confusion, looking a tad bit disoriented. Willis wasn't exactly sure what they had done, but from the looks of it the three of them had managed to save the baby digimon.

"Perfecto!" Yolei cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "You guys did it!"

"That was an excellent display of teamwork, I'll admit," Izzy agreed, smiling. "Though I'm still not quite sure just exactly what happened here, it was impressive nonetheless."

"How did you guys do that?" Davis demanded, frowning in confusion.

"How indeed," Ken murmured, a slight smile playing across his lips.

"There's no doubt now that the new crest we found is definitely belongs to Willis," Cody added, frowning slightly. "But somehow I get the feeling there's more to what we just saw than what meets the eye."

Willis blushed at that, and disentangling himself from both Kari and T.K. he quickly stood up, unsure himself just exactly what had happened. His body was still tingling with the lingering presence of both T.K.'s and Kari's emotions, and even though his crest was no longer active he still felt as if there was a surge of electricity pulsing through his veins.

_Not electricity exactly. I guess the best way to describe it would be...liquid light..._

Light.

Bright, radiant, and full of hope.

"With the babies back to normal, what should we do now?" Paildramon asked, turning to Ken and Davis for instruction.

"What do you think?" Davis snorted, pumping a fist into the air. "Time to show DarkLizardmon what happens when I'm forced to miss dinner! Oh, and the thing with Elecmon's babies too."

"Right," Ken sighed, slapping a hand against his forehead.

"You guys know what to do!" Yolei shouted, giving Aquilamon the thumbs up. "Payback time!"

Willis turned to see DarkLizardmon attempting to sneak off, and realizing the attention of everyone was now suddenly focused on him he froze in his tracks, his earlier confidence beginning to slip away at an alarmingly fast pace. "What are you all going on about? You saying you want to fight me?"

"That's exactly what we're saying," Gargomon shot back, advancing a few steps.

"Er...no can do. Ain't that Paildramon over there a mega? See, fighting megas isn't really my thing."

"You should of thought of that before you decided to sick Elecmon's babies on us," Kabuterimon replied, leaping into the air.

"Hey now, I told you that wasn't my idea," DarkLizardmon protested, beginning to back away from them. "I was just following orders."

"Whose orders?" Angewomon stated with authority, her bow held at the ready.

The digimon almost had DarkLizardmon completely surrounded by now, and he was starting to look a little panicked.

"I ain't telling any of you. I'm not that stupid."

"Not so brave now that you no longer have a shield of baby digimon to hide behind, are you," Ankylomon said mildly, swinging his tail in a threatening manner.

"Hey now, can't we talk this over like civilized digimon?" DarkLizardmon pleaded, glancing over his shoulder.

"Too late for that," Paildramon replied.

"We can't have you threatening Elecmon's babies again," Wendigomon added.

"That's it, I'm outta here! You guys can keep your babies. They ain't worth the skin on my back."

MagnaAngemon tried to grab him, but in his terror DarkLizardmon was too quick for the celestial digimon. Turning on his heel and making his escape, DarkLizardmon raced out of the alley towards the edge of town, leaving a trail of dust in his wake and a very confused group of Digidestined staring after him.


	17. Daughters of the Night

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Digimon.

**A/N: And another chapter for Trinity finally! I know it's short, but it's pretty much a lead in to what's going to be happening with the Digidestined on their next visit to the Digital World. I'll be back to FTFOD next!  
**

Trinity

Chapter 16: Daughters of the Night

_T.K._

T.K. slowly picked himself up off the dusty ground, and glancing in the direction that DarkLizardmon had chosen for an escape route, he frowned thoughtfully to himself.

_So...he is working for somebody else, but who could it be?_

"T.K.?" a voice suddenly said quietly in his ear, tugging lightly on his arm.

The unexpected touch startled him, and upon discovering the hand belonged to Cody, he said, "Sorry?"

"Are you okay?" Cody asked, looking concerned.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"Seriously, how did you guys do that?" Davis demanded, shaking his dark head in amazement. "You were able to turn those baby digimon back to normal like it was nothing!"

T.K. let his eyes shift to Kari and Willis, and realizing they were both watching him, he quickly ducked his head to hide the sudden blush on his cheeks. He would love to have been able to answer the goggle-headed leader's question, but as it stood now he had no idea himself just exactly what had happened.

He wasn't a stranger to the power of the crests. That part he could understand, but why did his power react so strongly to the power coming from Kari and Willis? It was like the light of their crests had merged together with his, and somehow he had been able to direct all of that power into MagnaAngemon. It was one thing to do something like that when it was just himself, but to be able to actually use the power of his friends...to have at least some control over it, that was unheard of. Even with DNA digivolving, which was similar in nature, it still wasn't quite the same kind of feeling. It still wasn't the same level of power and trust involved. In a case like DNA digivolution, it was the digimon who had most of the control over the combined power of their partners. In this particular scenerio, T.K. himself had been in control until he had passed that power to MagnaAngemon.

_The power of our crests gave MagnaAngemon the ability to save all those baby digimon, but all of that power was channeled through me first. I can still feel it even now..._

Willis.

That fear, longing, uncertainty, and a lingering sense of affection. Was that how Willis really felt about him? And then there was Kari. He couldn't even really put her feelings into words. A lot of her emotions had been the same as what Willis felt, but there was also something more. A sense of warmth and passion that ran so deep, it left him standing there feeling completely stunned.

_It felt like...the way I feel about her. Could it be that she really does feel the same way?_

As he had noted before, the sharing of their powers had been similar to the way it felt to DNA digivolve with Cody, only with three people it had been much more intense and even more intimate. And each of those feelings had been amplified to something that exceeded the bounds of DNA digivolution.

Even now, the feeling of Willis and Kari was still running through his veins, and it was so powerful he needed to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. It was a feeling he didn't want to leave him, and clenching the Crest of Hope tightly against his heart, he did his best to hang onto that feeling for as long as possible.

T.K. couldn't be sure, but he was convinced that something very momentous had just occurred for all three of them that day.

"Is anyone going to answer me, or not?" Davis complained, making a face.

"I can't say for sure, but I have a theory," Izzy said slowly, nodding his head as if agreeing with himself. "It seems the intensity of their emotions activated the crests, and somehow they were able to use that combined power to heal the baby digimon by using MagnaAngemon as the catalyst."

T.K. was finding it hard to speak for himself, as he was still unable to shift his eyes away from Willis and Kari. Both of his fellow Digidestined appeared to be having trouble meeting not only his own eyes, but also the eyes of each other, and he could tell they were a bit uncertain and embarrassed.

Not that he could blame them, since he felt the same way himself.

_What's...happening between us?_

There was definitely something there. Something special. And though T.K. didn't understand exactly what that something was yet, he was determined to find out.

"Well, whatever you guys did, it worked. What a relief," Yolei sighed, giving Kari a warm smile.

"From my understanding, it is uncommon for the crests to respond at the same time unless all of our partners are digivolving at once to take on an enemy," Ken said slowly, his sapphire eyes fixing firmly on Willis' face. "And even then they're responding only to the holder's emotions. The same thing happened here, but...there was also something more to it. It was almost like the three separate powers of the crests combined to form one universal power. Like...a unified power that can no longer be classified as three separate entities."

"My thoughts exactly," Izzy said eagerly, his dark eyes gleaming with excitement. "To put it in terms even you can understand, Davis, it was like the power of the crests no longer had three separate names or coexisted as three separate powers. It's like they combined to form one power with a single name."

"Hey, I take offence to that!" Davis shot back, glaring at the computer expert.

"Is that even possible?" Cody asked, glancing curiously at Izzy.

"From my experiences in the past, anything is possible in the Digital World. So yes, in theory it's possible, but..."

"But what?" Kari asked hesitantly, avoiding Izzy's eyes.

"For that to happen...I would surmise that the power of the crests would have to be of a similar nature."

"Which they are," Yolei interrupted. "I mean, light and hope are both powers of a celestial nature. Even Azulongmon himself said those two crests were different from the others."

"But if that's true then that means Willis' crest would also have to be different from the others, but still somehow similar to Kari's and T.K.'s crests," Angewomon pointed out.

"True," Izzy murmured, speaking almost to himself. "Which would make sense since all three of their partners have the potential to become celestial digimon. The most logical explanation would indicate that Willis' crest would also have to be celestial in nature, so the question is...what does his crest mean, and when those three powers combine, what do they become in name?"

"I...might have an idea," Willis suddenly said quietly, though he looked reluctant to speak. For some reason he was gazing stubbornly at his feet, and there was a defensive tone to his voice. "About my own crest, I mean."

T.K. was surprised by this, and moving quickly to stand in front of the American Digidestined, he said urgently, "What do you think it means?"

Willis finally looked at him, and deep within the American Digidestined's pale blue eyes, T.K. detected a powerful sense of vulnerability that left him feeling shocked and confused. "I...it's...I can't say for sure, but...I might have figured out its meaning. Only...if it's alright with you guys, I'd rather not say right now. At least, not until I'm a bit more sure."

Setting Kari's feelings aside for the moment, T.K. had never wanted to know something more than he did right at that moment, but instead of demanding an answer, he simply nodded and said, "If that's what you want, but...whenever you're ready."

"I know," Willis replied, smiling briefly at him. "...Thanks."

T.K. could tell Izzy was having a hard time containing himself, since he obviously wanted to know all about Willis' crest, and giving the computer expert a stern look, T.K. turned to MagnaAngemon and said, "What was it like...for you?"

"It was a truly wonderful sensation," MagnaAngemon replied, giving a slight bow. "I could feel the power of Willis and Kari flowing into me, along with your own. The power to turn darkness into light."

_Darkness into light..._

"What does that mean?" Davis asked, ever the clueless one.

MagnaAngemon chose not to respond. Instead, he said, "Come. We must return these baby digimon to Primary Village. Elecmon was most worried. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see them all safe and sound."

Yolei picked up the baby digimon nearest her, and cuddling him against her cheek, she said, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

The baby digimon happily cooed in response, his small body snuggling against her neck, and several others bounced up and down in adamant agreement.

"Poor things must be exhausted," Kari said sympathetically, picking up one herself and hugging it tightly in her arms. "Being forced to travel all the way here, and then being forced to fight."

"Well, we have plenty of digimon to give them a lift back home," Aquilamon replied.

"They're probably very confused and a bit frightened, as well," Izzy added. "Best to return them quickly. We can talk about where to go from here once we're back in the human world."

Davis picked up a couple of quivering babies to sooth them, and thoughtfully scratching the back of his head, he said, "Do you think Elecmon will feed us now that we've recused his babies?"

"Ugh, you and your stomach!" Yolei groaned, grabbing onto the goggle-headed leader's arm and dragging him towards Aquilamon.

Laughing, Cody said, "Mission accomplished then, I guess."

"I agree. Good work, everyone," Izzy said, nodding his head in approval. "Now let's get back to Primary Village."

T.K. waited for MagnaAngemon to armour digivolve back into Pegasusmon, and once all of the baby digimon were settled on various flying champions and armour digivolved digimon, they set off for Primary Village.

T.K. could feel Willis sitting behind him, with Cody on the end, all of them holding Armadillomon, Lopmon, Terriermon, and several baby digimon in their laps, and T.K. was surprised to discover he felt a new sense of closeness to Willis that hadn't been quite as prominent before. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he felt an even greater sense of closeness to Willis than what he had felt before. It was a nice feeling, but at the same time he was still uneasy. Though that wasn't because of Willis. It was because of the fallen city.

Looking down at the crumbling buildings, T.K. felt an ominous sense of being watched by something that did not belong in a former city of angels. It was the same feeling as before, and it deeply unsettled him. He could not say for certain, but he was pretty sure someone or something had been watching them the whole time they were trying to rescue Elecmon's babies. And he wasn't talking about DarkLizardmon. There was someone else, and whoever it was, T.K. was sure they were still watching them.

Watching and waiting...

Was it the same someone who had ordered DarkLizardmon to steal the babies? Was that someone the same person who had sent that mysterious email to Yolei? What kind of dark forces were at work in the Digital World, and were all the strange events happening recently somehow connected?

So many questions, but still no answers.

But the most important question of all was the one they had absolutely no information on.

Who, after all these years, had decided to challenge them, and when and where would they strike next?

_The Maiden of Jealousy  
_

Standing in the shadow of a tall, crumbling building, their mere presence a mockery to the city of angels, stood four graceful figures, all of whom were gazing at the tiny disappearing specks of the Digidestined as they flew off towards Primary Village.

"What do you think?" the figure on the right asked, her emerald green eyes shining with fury and anticipation.

The intense blue eyes of the figure on the left narrowed, and when she spoke there was a dangerous edge to her voice. "They are strong, but we are stronger."

"They passed the first challenge exceedingly well," the third figure in the middle said with serene grace, though there was a playful note to her voice. "I am most impressed."

The fourth figure, who was standing just behind the other three, nodded in agreement, though she did not speak up.

"They are dangerous," the green-eyed figure murmured.

"Very dangerous," the blue-eyed figured agreed.

The middle figure nodded slowly, her violet eyes sparkling like jewels in the afternoon sunshine. "We must stop the Trinity at all costs."

"Indeed," the green-eyed figured said with conviction.

"We must end their existence," the blue-eyed figure said simply, her bright gaze growing dark with evil intent.

The green-eyed figure's gaze flashed, and though she said nothing in response, it was clear she agreed wholeheartedly.

"What of DarkLizardmon?" the blue-eyed figure suddenly asked, her steady gaze betraying no emotion whatsoever.

The figure in the middle casually waved her hand in reply, dismissing the matter as unimportant. "Leave him. He has served his purpose. After all, this was only a test to see what we'll be dealing with. The real challenge is still to come."

The green-eyed figure looked at the third and fourth figures, and watching them calmly, she said, 'You know what to do."

The middle figure smiled, her thoughts returning to the Odaiba apartment in the human world, and ignoring the fourth figure, who was merely a servant after all, she said, "Come, fellow maidens of darkness. Let us depart."

The green-eyed figure and the blue-eyed figure both nodded, and taking her outstretched hand, the blue-eyed figure flew with her into the sky, leaving the green-eyed figure to carry the servant behind them.


	18. An Invitation

Disclaimer: I don't own the awesomeness that is Digimon.

**A/N: And another chapter for Trinity. This is basically a lead in to what's going to be happening next in the story as we begin to move forward with the main plot.  
**

Trinity

Chapter 17: An Invitation

_T.K._

T.K. stumbled rather ungracefully out of the gate, and catching himself before he could topple over into Davis, he quickly made his way over to the nearest chair and sat down with a heavy sigh.

The others were quick to pull up a chair for themselves to join him, and gazing at each other in silence, no one seemed to know quite what to say next.

After returning the babies to a very grateful Elecmon and explaining what had happened, they had decided to forgo a dinner of fish despite the protests of one Davis Motomiya, since it was getting close to dinnertime in the human world and they didn't want their parents to get suspicious if they didn't show up on time. Patamon and the other digimon had stayed behind to partake in the celebratory fish dinner Elecmon was planning, but not before Izzy had promised they would all return the next day to see if they could shed some more light on whatever was currently happening in the Digital World.

There was only one problem, and it was fairly serious. Without any new information to go on, they had no idea where to start looking for clues that would lead to the truth behind the kidnapping of Elecmon's babies, and thus a thoughtful silence had descended upon the computer lab.

"Well, Izzy?" Yolei finally asked, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the room and giving the computer expert an expectant look. "Any ideas?"

Izzy sheepishly scratched the back of his head in response, but before he could reply a message suddenly came up on the screen informing Izzy that he had a new email.

Curious, Izzy quickly opened the message, and T.K. froze at what the message contained, his mouth dropping open in astonishment. It was only a simple line made up of six words, but even so the possibilities of what it could mean were endless. The words also had a slightly ominous feel to them, and T.K. felt a sudden shiver race down his spine at the contents of the message.

_"Come to the Forest of Prophecy."_

That was what the message said, and considering the email Yolei had received the day before, which had been sent by someone calling themselves the Keeper of the Prophecies, T.K. had no doubt the two messages were somehow connected.

"Come to the Forest of Prophecy," Willis murmured, reading the message out loud. "What does that mean?"

"What's this about, Izzy?" Cody asked slowly, watching the computer expert closely.

T.K. exchanged a meaningful look with Yolei, and pulling his chair up to Izzy, he mumbled, "Is it from the same person?"

Izzy nodded in confirmation, his face twisting into a frown. "The Keeper of the Prophecies."

"Izzy, what's going on?" Kari asked quietly, her tone becoming quite serious. "You know something, don't you."

Izzy jumped at this, and speaking calmly, Ken said, "Izzy, it's obvious that you, Yolei, and T.K. are hiding something from the rest of us. We didn't want to pry, but I think now might be a good time to tell us what has been on your minds lately."

By this time everybody was staring at Izzy, and T.K. quickly looked away when all those eyes switched to him before moving onto Yolei.

"Can't hide anything from you guys," Izzy finally replied, smiling slightly.

"Does that mean you're going to tell us what's going on?" Davis demanded, sounding both eager and excited.

T.K. felt Izzy turn to look at him, and lifting his head to gaze back at the computer expert, he sighed and said, "I guess we don't really have a choice anymore, do we."

"I think it's pretty safe to assume that these messages we've been receiving are somehow related to what happened to Elecmon's babies today. You heard what DarkLizardmon was saying. There's definitely something odd going on in the Digital World, and whatever it is it's bigger than we first thought. We've only seen a small portion of the bigger picture still to come, and at this point I think it's only fair that others know what they're getting themselves into."

"I know, but-"

"We don't want anyone to end up putting themselves in danger because of a lack of knowledge," Izzy said gently, giving him a sympathetic smile.

T.K turned his attention to Yolei, and giving her a resigned smile, he said, "I take it you agree with Izzy?"

Yolei nodded, confirming his statement. "We can't deny anymore that the Digital World is in some kind of danger. It's only right that the others know about what's going on."

T.K. agreed with Izzy and Yolei, but even so he was still reluctant to speak. Any chance he had at all to work on his friendship with Willis was quickly going down the drain as the safety of the Digital World had to come before all else.

_Talk about terrible timing..._

"T.K.?" Izzy prodded, nudging him lightly in the elbow.

Resigned to the fact that the state of his friendship with Willis was going to be overshadowed by the darkness in the Digital World, he nodded and finally said, "You're right. It's not like we really have choice anymore."

"Yolei, why don't you explain since you're the one who received the first email?" Izzy suggested.

Yolei quickly launched into an explanation about the strange poem she had received from someone calling themselves the Keeper of the Prophecies, and going over the events currently happening in the Digital World, she ended with the new email that Izzy had just received about the Forest of Prophecy, whatever that was supposed to be.

For a while nobody said anything, but after a moment of thoughtful silence, Cody said slowly, "Why didn't you guys tell us earlier?"

He sounded slightly hurt, and feeling guilty, T.K. mumbled, "We didn't want you guys to worry. The Digital World has been so peaceful lately."

"T.K., nothing ever happens in the Digiworld without a reason," Kari reminded him softly, her amber gaze studying his face.

"I know. I'm really sorry, guys. I...we just...This is the first time Willis has been to Japan, and..."

"We didn't want to spoil it for him," Yolei sighed, making a face.

"You guys don't need to worry about me," Willis said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Good or bad, it doesn't matter what happens while I'm here. As long as you're all around to face it with me, nothing can spoil this trip for me."

_Willis..._

T.K. stared at the American Digidestined, who was sitting off to his left, and placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, he said, "You really are pretty amazing, Willis."

Willis looked a little surprised at the comment, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "It's no big deal. What's really important here is the Digital World. Izzy, do you have any idea who this Keeper of the Prophecies is?"

Izzy sat back in his chair, and frowning at the computer screen, he said slowly, "Well, we're no strangers to prophecies. It was a prophecy about the hour of the beast that alerted us to the birth of VenomMyotismon, and the hint about the angels shooting arrows of hope and light and their loved ones helped save the day back then. I assume the prophecies of the Digital World have to come from somewhere, and this Keeper of the Prophecies sounds like a good candidate for the source of that information to me."

"Then...you believe the message Yolei received was in fact an actual prophecy of some sort?" Ken asked slowly, his handsome face twisting into a look that was hard to read.

"I can't say for certain, but it sure sounds a lot like one to me."

"And you think this prophecy thingy has something to do with what happened to Elecmon's babies?" Davis butted in, punching Izzy lightly in the shoulder to get his attention.

"It's hard to imagine the two aren't somehow related, since they're happening at excatly the same time. Maybe DarkLizardmon himself doesn't have much to do with it, but you all heard what he said earlier. He was definitely working for someone, and maybe it's that someone who somehow relates to those emails we've been receiving and to the warning Yolei was given. I'm sure they're connected somehow, which means we need to figure out exactly what that poem means."

"And the sooner the better," Kari agreed.

"So, although I don't know exactly who this Keeper of the Prophecies is, whoever it might can likely answer some of our questions about what's going on in the Digital World."

T.K. nodded in agreement and said, "So then...our next step would be finding this Keeper of the Prophecies."

"Exactly. And...I think we might just have the means to do so."

"We do?" Davis asked, scratching his thick hair in confusion.

"The email I just received," Izzy replied, shaking his head at Davis. "It said to come to the Forest of Prophecy. It's a clear invitation to come pay a visit, and considering the name of the forest, I suspect this is where our Keeper of the Prophecies lives."

"So he or she wants to meet with us," Willis muttered to himself, gazing thoughtfully at his hands. "Which leaves us with an important question. Is this Keeper of the Prophecies a friend or a foe? And if he is our enemy...is he the one who sent DarkLizardmon after Elecmon's babies?"

"A good question," Ken agreed. "What do you think, Izzy?"

"There's really only one way to find out, but...considering it was this Keeper of the Prophecies who sent us the warning about the Digital World being in danger in the first place, it suggests he is more likely to be our ally and not an enemy."

"Maybe, but we still need to be careful," Cody warned.

Izzy nodded in agreement, and lowering his gaze he began to type something out on the keyboard. "You're right, Cody. First impressions can be deceiving. We'll need to stay on our guard at all times."

"Well, it's like you said, Izzy. There's really only one way to find out, and that's by going to meet this Keeper of the Prophecies ourselves!" Davis piped up, pumping his fist into the air. "So..uh...where is this Forest of Prophecies anyway?"

Pulling up a map of the Digital World, Izzy pointed at the smallest landmass near the centre and said, "It's a fairly large forest east of that forgotten city where we found Elecmon's babies. It's also sometimes referred to as the Forest of Forgotten Memories."

"How come?" Yolei asked curiously, adjusting her glasses and squinting more closely at the screen for a better view.

"I believe it's supposed to refer to the Digital World's past. It's a reference to the memories of the Digital World and its long history, and all those memories together form the collective memory of the Digital World."

"And since the Digital World's history is so vast, it's not surprising that some of it has probably been forgotten over hundreds and hundreds of years," Kari said quietly, her gaze taking on a faraway look.

"Exactly. It's official name is the Forest of Prophecy, but no doubt it has many other names since it seems to be the centre of the Digital World's history and the place where prophecies take form and substance."

"You sure know a lot about the Digital World, Izzy," Willis commented, sounding rather impressed.

Looking a little embarrassed, Izzy shrugged and said, "I've done a lot of research on it over the years, and the digimon there have helped out a lot with their knowledge of the Digiworld and their stories."

"So, this Forest of Prophecy really is our next destination then?" Cody asked.

Izzy nodded before saying, "I'll get in contact with Tentomon and the others and tell them to meet us at the closest gate to the forest tomorrow. I know Tai and the others are pretty busy right now, but I'll try to fill them in on the situation as soon as I have the chance. In the meantime, I think it's time we all headed home for some dinner, and to get some rest. It looks like we're going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

T.K. nodded in agreement, but he wasn't really paying attention to what Izzy was saying. Instead, he was watching Willis.

Though the others had been clearly concerned over the email Yolei received earlier, it was obvious they didn't have a real good idea of what it actually meant, but with Willis his reaction had been particularly interesting. Unlike the others, upon hearing Yolei recite the email, there had been a flash of recognition in the American Digidestined's eyes and he had looked particularly disturbed by it.

Even now, though he had been attentive to Izzy words, T.K. could tell Willis was still thinking about that weird poem, and the way the American Digidestined was dwelling on it concerned him deeply.

_He knows something, but what could it possibly be?_

As everyone was getting to their feet, Yolei paused to say, "I take it that means we're all to meet here again after school tomorrow?"

"That would probably be best," Izzy agreed, shutting off the computer and making his way towards the door. "I'll get in contact with Tentomon tonight on my laptop."

"And guys? We're really sorry for keeping all this from you," Yolei added, looking guilty.

Smiling, Ken put a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's fine. We know now and that's what matters."

"Don't worry about it," Cody added.

They all left the room in thoughtful silence, and heading towards the entrance to the school, T.K. was surprised to find Kari walking next to him. She didn't say anything, but there was concern on her face and it made him feel guilty for making her worry.

_I'm sorry, Kari._

Holding the door open for her, they stepped outside into the sunshine, and T.K. jumped when he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. Turning, he realized Willis had been following along behind them, and feeling confused, he said, "Aren't you heading home with Davis?"

Willis glanced over to where Davis had started up another argument with Yolei, and blond hair gleaming in the sunshine, he said calmly, "In a minute."

T.K. blinked in bafflement, and realizing both Kari and Willis were staring at him, he turned his face away and said quietly, "I never wanted to keep anything from you two. It was the last thing I wanted to do."

"We know," Kari said softly, her tone surprisingly warm and gentle.

T.K. turned to look at them again, and tilting his head to the side, Willis said simply, "We felt it."

Their connection earlier with the crests. Though they hadn't known exactly what he was hiding, they had felt his longing and desire to tell them.

And that wasn't the only thing he wanted to tell them.

Trying not to blush, he lowered his head and said, "I should get going."

"Wait," Willis interrupted, stepping towards him. "Listen...You and Kari, you guys need to be careful."

"Huh?"

T.K. glanced at Kari in confusion, but she merely shrugged, looking just as confused as he felt.

"Especially you, T.K.," Willis insisted, refusing to look away from him. "I don't...Look, just trust me on this, okay?"

T.K. didn't know quite what to say to that, and looking very worried Willis gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze before turning and making his way over to Davis and Yolei.

Standing there, T.K. felt Kari slip her hand into his, and they remained that way long after Willis had left, wondering just exactly what the American Digidestined had meant by those words of warning.


	19. The Forest of Prophecy

Trinity

Chapter 19: The Forest of Prophecy

_T.K.  
_

T.K. made a face at the dirty gym clothes and the stack of books cluttering the bottom of his locker, and letting out a weary sigh he proceeded to cram his homework into his already overcrowded knapsack. Not surprisingly his lack of enthusasm went unoticed, as the soft sound from his lips was lost in the noise of the ovferflowing crowd that was moving swiftly towards the main exit, and though T.K. tried his best to ignore them, an occasional elbow nudging him in the lower back made him wince on more than one occasion.

So much noise. So much traffic. The day had barely even begun for him, and already he was starting to get a nasty headache.

_I wonder where Davis and the others are. Probably already in the computer room..._

T.K. had known since the day before that Izzy had been planning for all of them to go to the Digital World again after school, and though he had made a point of going to bed early, unfortunately he had ended up getting very little sleep for his efforts.

Every time he would close his eyes and try to relax, his mind would wander back to the strange conversation he had shared with Kari and Willis just before the three of them had headed home from school for the night. Try as he might, he had been unable to ignore the warning Willis had given him about being careful, and naturally his curiosity had refused to let his wandering mind drop the subject. As a result, he had spent the whole night tossing and turning, and his active mind had refused to let him sleep.

_I feel so tired, and I have no energy at all today. No wonder I'm starting to get a huge headache._

T.K. finished shoving the last of the books he needed for the night into his bag, and just as he was about to close his locker door a voice called out to him from the crowd. Surprised, he turned to see Willis, of all people, weaving towards him though the mass of bodies, and quickly snapping his lock back on, he turned to greet the American Digidestined with a hesitant smile. "Hey, Willis."

_I wonder what he wants._

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Willis said cheerfully, stepping up next to him and giving him a teasing smile.

T.K. had to admit he was a little confused. Since coming to Japan, Willis had been acting rather quiet and reserved around him, so he couldn't deny that this sudden attention from the American Digidestined seemed a tad bit too out of the ordinary. It was almost like he was seeing a glimpse of the old Willis he had met in New York. The one who had trusted them to help save Kokomon and who had given them a cheerful goodbye.

_I...don't get it. Why the sudden change? Does this have something to do with his warning from yesterday?_

"T.K.?" Willis pressed, gazing at him with what looked like a hint of amusement.

T.K. gave himself a mental shake, and avoiding the American Digidestined's eyes, he said, "Sorry, you were looking for me?"

"Everybody else is already waiting in the computer room," Willis explained, his pale blue eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lights. "When you didn't show up, Izzy figured he'd better send someone to fetch you."

"And you were the lucky one who got sent for the job?" T.K. asked, managing mostly to hide the bitter tone in his voice.

He had spent most of the classes he shared with Willis watching the American Digidestined without even attempting to be discreet, but not once had the other blond returned his gaze. T.K. was sure Willis must have known he was being watched, so why had he failed to respond?

_I just...I don't understand him sometimes. Maybe I never did._

"Wait, you think Izzy sent me to come looking for you?" Willis asked dryly, his head tilting slightly to the side.

"Isn't that what you just said?"

Willis stepped closer to him, and speaking in a low voice, he said, "No, I volunteered to come looking for you when he suggested it. Nobody asked me."

_He... Wait, what?_

T.K. stared at the American Digidestined in surprise, and apparently realizing his words had gotten what appeared to be the desired effect, Willis gave him an innocent smile in return.

_Huh. He's being pretty bold today. I wonder why the sudden change..._

There was no doubt now he was definitely seeing flashes of the Willis from four years ago, and before he could stop himself T.K. found himself smiling in return.

"Are you ready to go?" Willis asked, gesturing with his hand in the direction of the computer room.

T.K. managed a quick nod, and together they began to maneuver their way though the crowd towards their desired destination. Occasionally Willis would glance at him as they walked side by side, but this time it was T.K.'s turn to ignore his fellow Digidestined's sudden attention. What had prompted this sudden change in Willis' behaviour? Why was he acting more like his old self? Why was he being so...friendly all of a sudden?

_I just can't make any sense of it..._

Luckily the corridor where the computer room could be found was empty, and breathing a sigh of relief at the quiet atmosphere and the abundance of elbow room, T.K. was about to step through the door when Willis suddenly stopped him.

Turning at the feel of his friend's hand on his arm, T.K. waited for the American Digidestined to speak.

"You look tired," Willis said slowly, glancing almost uncertainly at the door before once again giving his full attention to the conversation at hand.

_And the new Willis is back again. How much should I tell him?_

T.K. hesitated before saying, "Didn't really sleep well last night."

Willis nodded as if he understood, and finally turning to look at him, the American Digidestined said, "I know the feeling."

Now that they were standing close together and looking directly at one another, T.K. could tell that Willis also looked a bit tired, and unable to stop himself, he said, "Willis, about yesterday..."

Willis held up a hand to stop him, and looking away, the American Digidestined said, "Let's go meet this Keeper of the Prophecies. Everything might make more sense then. To both of us, I think."

At this, T.K. quickly closed his mouth, and unable to think of a decent reply he merely nodded before turning to open the door to the computer room. The American Digidestined's tone had made it clear that their discussion was over, but even so T.K. wasn't too concerned about it. Though it was obvious Willis didn't really want to talk about it right now, his words had given T.K. the impression that he would speak once he himself found out a little bit more about what was going on. To T.K. that was a sign of progress, and if Willis trusted him enough to one day eventually tell him what was going on, then he had no problem waiting for as long as was necessary.

_Willis, I promise you I'm not going to give you a reason to doubt me. I'll make you see how much you can trust me._

"T.K., there you are!" Yolei exploded, rushing up to him and giving him a rather aggressive tug on the arm. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Oh sure. You don't yell at _him_ when he's late, but when it's me it's the opposite," Davis complained, making a face at Yolei.

The lavender-haired Digidestined ignored him, and placing her hands on her hips, she said, "Where have you been?"

Feeling guilty, T.K. managed a sheepish grin in return. "Sorry, I got held up at my locker. I take it we're ready to go then?"

"We are now that you're here," Izzy replied, giving him a warm smile. "Tentomon and the others should be waiting for us at the gate that lies just inside the Forest of Prophecy. I got a hold of Tai and the others as well and let them know what was going on. Though they _are_ busy, they did say to let them know right away if we need any reinforcements."

"Tai sent me a message last night saying the same thing," Kari added. "I could tell he was worried, but he also sounded pretty confident that we would be able to handle the situation without too much trouble."

"Tai has a lot of trust in you guys," Izzy said in agreement, glancing at each of them in turn. "And so do I for that matter."

T.K. had also received a similar message from Matt earlier in the morning, and smiling at the memory he turned to give Izzy his full attention. "Shall we get going then?"

"Sure, why don't you do the honours?" Izzy replied, gesturing towards the computer. "Oh, and Willis, Tai did say they're all planning to come and visit you sometime as well. You haven't been forgotten."

"I know," Willis laughed, giving Izzy a wink. '"I understand they're busy, so I don't take offence at all."

"Good to hear. Come on, guys! We better get moving. The gate's already set up to send us in the proper direction, so whenever you're ready, T.K."

T.K felt the others gather close around him, and holding out his Digivice he let the light from the computer surround him in a bright, blinding haze. The next thing he knew he was picking himself up off the forest floor in the Digital World, and glancing around at the trees, the first thing he noticed was how dark and gloomy it was.

_Weird..._

"T.K.!" Patamon cried, flying into his arms.

"Hey there, Patamon," T.K. murmured, hugging the little digimon tightly against his chest. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, but this forest is a little on the scary side."

"Indeed, it is rather foreboding," Hawkmon agreed, placing himself next to Yolei.

"I take it you guys have never been here before?" Cody asked.

"Nope," Veemon said cheerfully, bouncing over to Davis. "Never seen it before in my life."

"I guess that means we can't depend on you for directions then," Ken said, smiling in amusement.

"I wouldn't depend on him anyways," Gatomon muttered.

T.K. had to hold back a smile, and glancing around the forest again, he proceeded to take in his surroundings with interest.

Though there was sunlight streaming down through the tops of the trees, for some reason it didn't seem to penetrate the gloomy atmosphere of the forest. More importantly, the sun didn't cast any shadows at all, and all of the trees, ferns, and bushes had a strange white substance on them that seemed to sparkle in the darkness. A thick carpet of what looked a lot like pine needles covered the ground, but instead of being the usual brown colour they were a strange mix of green and blue, and they too seemed to sparkle. On top of that the forest was eerily quiet, and there did not appear to be another digimon anywhere in sight. The unnatural silence was a bit unnerving, and squinting through the gloom T.K. felt a tiny shiver crawl up and down his spine.

"Where to, Izzy?" Tentomon asked his partner, gazing expectantly at the computer expert.

Glancing around, Izzy sheepishly scratched the back of his head before giving Tentomon an apologetic smile. "To be honest, I have no idea. The email only said to come to the Forest of Prophecy. It didn't tell us exactly _where_ in the forest we were supposed to go."

"So...we're just gonna wander around aimlessly till we find something interesting?" Terriermon asked, exchanging a look with Lopmon.

"I think that pretty much sums it up," Willis laughed, smiling fondly at his two partners.

"Let's get going then. No use standing around here," Davis snorted, taking the lead.

Ken, Wormmon, and Veemon were quick to join him, and Yolei, Hawkmon, Izzy, and Tentomon fell in behind them. Cody, Armadillomon, Willis, Terriermon, and Lopmon were next in line, which left T.K. himself, Patamon, Kari, and Gatomon to being up the rear.

The others were quick to fall into an easy stream of conversation, the quiet atmosphere of the forest having no effect on them whatsoever, but despite their example T.K. still felt uneasy about speaking. He felt almost like the forest was watching them, testing them, to see if they were worthy of entering its grounds.

_I wonder if there might be something out there watching us..._

It was an unnerving thought, and even though he didn't want to dwell on it, he made a point of scanning the surrounding trees for any unwanted visitors.

"Did Willis say anything to you?"

The sound of Kari's soft voice startled him so badly he almost tripped over a raised tree root, and glancing at her he did not need to ask what she was talking about in order to understand what her words meant. More than anything he wanted to give her a positive answer, but unfortunately he was going to have to disappoint her. "No, he wouldn't talk about it, but...he did make it sound like he would once he knew a little bit more about...whatever it is he seems to know."

"Well, that's something at least," Kari sighed, fiddling almost unconsciously with the camera hanging around her neck. "But why? Why would he feel the need to warn us like that? Why is it so important that we try to be careful?"

"I don't know. I wish I did, but until he feels...more comfortable talking to us we're just going to have to do what he says and keep ourselves out of trouble."

"Will he ever feel comfortable talking to us? Ever since New York..."

T.K. froze in shock at her words, and heart pounding he turned slowly to look at the female Digidestined, not caring that the others, including Patamon and Gatomon, had continued to walk on ahead.

_Did she really just say that?_

It was too good of an opportunity to waste. This was the first time Kari had mentioned New York to him directly, with regards to Willis that is, and he would be stupid not to take advantage of it. "Kari, I...Do you...Do you ever feel different around Willis?"

Kari gazed quietly at him for a moment, and letting out a deep sigh, she said softly, "So you feel it too. I've often wondered if you did."

T.K. looked away from his female friend, and gazing at the forest floor he willed the pounding of his heart to cease. "So that means...you and I are the same. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Why didn't _you_ ever tell _me?_" Kari countered.

She didn't sound angry, but there was obvious hurt and confusion in her tone, and T.K. was sure he heard a little bit of guilt as well.

_We've always been able to talk to each other about things like this. Why should this time be any different?_

Reaching out to take her hand and holding it in both of his, he said softly, "I'm sorry, Kari. I just...I don't know what I was thinking."

To his surprise, Kari placed her other hand over top of his, and shaking her head, she said quietly, "No, I'm sorry too. We're both at fault. I've wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure entirely if you were feeling what I was feeling."

"Same here. But...why though? Why do we feel this way about him?"

"I don't know, but I do intend to find out," Kari said firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Turning, they both gazed at Willis, who was getting rather far ahead by this time, and watching him, T.K. said, "Do you think...he feels it too?"

Kari hesitated before saying, "I wasn't sure at first, but after yesterday with the crests, there's no doubt in my mind that he feels the same as we do, and...it scares him."

"What do you mean?"

Kari reached out to touch his cheek, and giving him a sad smile, she said, "You can't tell me you haven't noticed the way he's been acting towards us."

"But...why? Why would he be scared of us?"

"Maybe...for the same reasons we're scared to get close to him."

T.K. was about to respond when Izzy's voice interrupted him. "Hey you two, this forest is pretty big. All of us had better stick together or someone might end up getting lost."

"You don't want to get left behind," Wormmon added.

T.K. quickly pulled away from Kari, and turning he discovered that the others had come back for them and were waiting a few feet away. All of them were watching with amused looks on their faces, and T.K. felt himself start to blush at how the situation must have looked to his friends. Only Willis wasn't smiling, and T.K. couldn't help wondering if the American Digidestined had possibly overheard small bits of what was said about him. It was hard to tell by the neutral expression on his face, but with the way he was staring at them so intently, T.K. had a feeling the American Digidestined knew he had been the subject of their conversation.

"We're sorry, Izzy. We didn't mean to get so far behind," Kari said pleasantly, bowing in respect.

Izzy waved off her apology and said, "It's fine. I just don't want anyone to get left behind, that's all. Shall we continue?"

"All this standing around is making me want to take a nap," Armadillomon replied.

"Are you okay, T.K.?" Patamon asked, fluttering back into his arms.

T.K. nodded, and turning to Kari, he said, "I guess that's our cue to get moving."

"Yes, we'll talk about this more later...if that's okay with you," Kari replied, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

T.K. felt his heart swell with a sense of hope, and reaching out to touch her cheek in return, he said softly, "I'd like that."

_I can't believe she finally said something. Does this mean that the two of us can finally move forward? Will I finally get the chance to tell her how I really feel?_

"Are you two sure you're okay?" Gatomon asked suspiciously.

"We're fine," Kari said, smiling fondly at her partner, "but we better get moving before Izzy scolds us again."

The four of them quickly hurried to join the rest of the group, and for the next hour they all walked in uneasy silence, the atmosphere of the forest having finally gotten even to Davis. Judging by the look on the goggle-headed leader's face, he appeared to be taking personal offense to this terrible injustice, and T.K. had to hide a smile to stop himself from laughing in good fun.

All around them the forest continued to watch and wait, and by the time they got closer to the centre of the woods, T.K. couldn't deny that his nerves were seriously on edge.

"Still nothing," Yolei said in frustration, whirling to point an accusing finger at Izzy. "Are you sure this is the right forest?"

"Positive. I even double-checked on the map three times. For someone who seems so eager to see us, they're certainly making it hard for us to find them..."

T.K. was about to respond when Willis suddenly held up a hand for silence, his expression immediately becoming much more alert.

"What is it, Willis?" Cody asked curiously.

"Did you guys hear something?"

"Where?" Davis demanded.

"I didn't hear anything," Lopmon said shyly.

Willis frowned, his blue eyes narrowing in concentration, and whirling around, he pointed at the trees and said, "Over there. There's something in the trees up ahead. I heard voices. Two of them. Female I think, but I can't be sure..."

"We'd better check it out just to be on the safe side," Izzy said hastily, motioning for Tentomon to follow him. "Come on, guys."

T.K. quickly fell into step with Willis, and together the group made its way through the trees Willis had indicated. It wasn't long before they found themselves standing in a tiny clearing, and what they saw made the entire group freeze at the edge of the trees.

Willis had not been mistaken. He had indeed heard two female voices, and though one of them was obviously a digimon, which wasn't surprising, it was the other figure who had caught their attention.

Sitting on a fallen tree trunk in the centre of the clearing with her legs crossed and her hands resting on either side of her hips was a female figure who was quite obviously human, and curled on the ground next to her was a digimon, who like Gatomon resembled a cat, only she was bigger. The human appeared to be gazing serenely at the tops of the trees, and though light from the sun streamed down all around her body, it failed to touch her face or to light up the gloominess of the clearing. From a distance she appeared to be Kari's height, and her hair was a light purple. It looked to be about shoulder length, but it was hard to tell since she had it done up in two short, spiky ponytails at the back of her head. Even in the darkness T.K. could tell her skin was very pale, and she had small, pixie like features that emphasized her delicacy. At the moment she was wearing a short, purple skirt, and her white knee-length boots closely resembled the ones Mimi wore fairly often. Her short-sleeved top was also white, and there was a strange purple symbol on it that looked almost like the kind of symbol one would see on a crest, thought it wasn't a crest T.K. had ever come across before. If he had to describe it, he would say it resembled most closely a flower, and it was sort of similar to the symbol on Kari's crest.

_What in the Digiworld..._

As if only now becoming aware of their presence, the girl turned slowly to gaze at them, and T.K. found himself staring into her strange violet eyes, which seemed to be focused on him, and only him alone.

"Whoa, who the heck are you?" Davis asked, staring at the girl in obvious confusion.

As far as T.K. could tell the girl appeared to be about the same age as himself, Davis, Kari, and Willis, but there was also something about her that seemed somehow ageless. She was also very beautiful, so much so in fact that there was something almost unnatural about it.

_Where could she have come from, and who is that digimon with her? A...partner maybe? Is she a Digidestined, too?_

"Uh, hello?" Davis called out when the girl didn't answer.

T.K. let out a soft gasp of relief as the girl finally broke eye contact with him, and turning her attention to Davis, she gave the leader of the Digidestined a most mysterious smile. "This forest has many secrets. I wonder...Will you be able to decipher them all?"

Her voice sounded very musical, and her tone was light, but before Davis could respond she leaped easily off the log and proceeded to race out of the clearing on light feet, the female digimon following behind her.

"Hey wait!" Davis shouted, racing after her.

T.K. quickly followed the goggle-headed leader, the others hurrying along behind him, and together the group burst out of the trees into another clearing that was much bigger than the last one.

Glancing around, it didn't take long to discover that the girl was nowhere to be found, and completely mystified T.K. turned to gaze helplessly at the rest of the team.

"What...was that?" Willis finally asked, breaking the silence.

"_Who_ was that?" Yolei added.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Izzy replied, shaking his head.

"That girl," Kari murmured, gazing off into the trees. "She seemed...almost like a dream."

"Who was that digimon with her?" Ken murmured, turning to gaze expectantly at his partner.

Wormmon glanced at Hawkmon, who said, "We're not quite sure. There are hundreds and thousands of different species of digimon here in the Digital World, and unfortunately we have not had the opportunity to meet them all. She wasn't one we recognized, at least not from the brief view we had of her."

"Something very strange is going on around here," Cody said slowly, frowning. "And it's becoming even more obvious the deeper we get involved in this whole mess."

"Most of which we still don't understand," Yolei huffed. "That's the Digital World for you."

"What now?" Davis groaned, making a face.

T.K. didn't bother to respond. Instead he merely pointed at a new figure in a robe who was standing on the steps of a dilapidated old cabin at the far end of the clearing. The figure had been standing there watching them ever since they had entered the clearing, and tuning to look where he was pointing, the rest of the team gasped in surprise.

"Who's that?" Terriermon whispered.

As if the figure had heard him speak, it slowly glided down the worn stairs and beckoned to them with a pale, skeletal hand to come closer.

Almost against his better judgment T.K. went to greet the robed figure, his feet moving him forward almost against his own will.

"Welcome, Digidestined," the robed figure said softly in a female voice, holding out her arms in a welcoming sort of manner. "Inside, the prophecy awaits."


	20. Within the Crystal Ball

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Sad, but true.

**A/N: And another chapter is finished! Again, though this story isn't related to any of my other stories, it does have a familiar face in it. Hope you all enjoy!**

Trinity

Chapter 20: Within the Crystal Ball

_Willis  
_

Willis was surprised to find himself following the mysterious robed digimon into the cabin without protest, the others trailing along behind, and as they moved towards the back of the building he noticed that the room they were heading for appeared to be glowing from within with a strange crimson light.

Upon entering the room, Willis discovered that the red glow seemed to be coming from a light source he could not immediately identify, and frowning he studied the walls of the cabin with curiosity.

_Is that light coming from...the walls maybe?_

The crimson light seemed to pulse with life, almost as if it were alive, and unable to look away Willis continued to survey the room with interest.

At one time the space itself must have been a decent sized living room, but age had definitely taken its toll on the little cabin. After years of neglect, the room had grown dusty and dirty, and all of the furniture, except for a small round table and several battered chairs located in the centre of the room, had been covered in dirty white sheets and stored to one side. There was a layer of dust over everything except the table, and sneezing Willis studied the table with apprehension. It was the only piece of furniture in the room that looked new, and it was covered in a midnight blue table cloth that was decorated with silver stars. In the centre of the table stood what appeared to be a glowing crystal ball, and giving it a rather suspicious look Willis proceeded to take a seat at the table, Lopmon and Terriermon quickly jumping into his lap so they could see what was going on a little bit better.

"If you don't mind me asking, who might you be?" Izzy asked politely, his expression calm and unhindered by any obvious concern.

Willis glanced at the computer expert seated to his left and then at T.K., who had chosen the seat on his right, before allowing himself to study the mysterious figure sitting across from him a little more closely. The strange digimon was wrapped in a midnight blue cloak, and her face was completely hidden by the cloak's hood. The only thing Willis could make out was a pair of deep violet eyes that were staring back at him from the depths of the hood, and her thin, white hands were folded together neatly on the table. The hands looked skeletal in the gloomy darkness of the room, and they were so white they appeared almost to glow in the dim red light that pulsed steadily all around them.

"My name is Seermon," the female digimon replied after a tense moment of silence, her violet gaze settling on Izzy. "I am the one they call the Keeper of the Prophecies."

"So...you're the one who sent us those messages," Yolei said slowly, exchanging a look with Kari, who sat on her left.

Seermon, who was seated on Yolei's right, nodded in agreement, and bowing her head, she said softly, "Indeed, you are correct. I have seen things, things of a rather alarming nature, and I felt I must warn you so you would have time to prepare yourselves for the coming disaster."

"What things?" Davis asked curiously, sitting on Seermon's right. "And what exactly does being the Keeper of the Prophecies even mean?"

Seermon turned her violet eyes on the goggle-headed leader, and once again bowing her head, it was a moment before she decided to answer. "I am a digimon who has devoted herself to protecting this world, and due to this difficult task it has become my duty to analyze and decipher the visions and prophecies of the Digital World in order to help maintain the balance of light and darkness in this beautiful land that we digimon call our home. Due to my gift, it has become my responsibility to foretell any impending darkness that threatens us so that the digimon of this world can prepare themselves for the dark times ahead. Thus the reason why many of the digimon in this world refer to me as the Keeper of the Prophecies."

"I see," Izzy murmured, his expression growing thoughtful.

"Hey..." Davis said slowly, growing suddenly indignant. "If that's true then where were you all those times before when evil digimon like MaloMyotismon kept trying to attack us?"

Willis couldn't be entirely sure, since he could not see her face, but he had a feeling Seermon was now smiling in amusement deep within the hood she wore. "You may not have been aware of my presence, but do not think I had abandoned you during your time of need in the past."

"The prophecy," Ken said softly, his sapphire eyes growing wide with sudden understanding. "The angels of hope and light, and the hour of the beast. That was you, wasn't it. You were the one who originally predicted what would happen."

Seermon nodded in approval, and sitting back on her chair, she said softly, "I have been with all of you since the very beginning, even if you may not have been aware of my presence, or aware of the assistance I have provided you on several occasions. I have my ties to Gennai and his counterparts just as all of you do, and I have been watching you all every step of the way. Like Gennai and his counterparts, I have dedicated my life to protecting the Digital World. I watch over File Island and the four hemispheres of the Digital World, or I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I watch over the prophecies of this world."

"So you've met Gennai before," Kari finished, her words more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, I have. And now at last I finally have the opportunity to meet all of you. Or some of you at least, as I see a few of your companions are not with you today."

"Tai and the others weren't able to come, much as they would have liked to," Izzy explained, a hint of an apology in his tone of voice.

"Now that we know who you are, what is it exactly that you feel the need to warn us about?" Gatomon asked suspiciously from her seat in Kari's lap. "It must be pretty important if you felt you had to warn us in person this time."

Seermon's aura immediately became much more serious, and leaning forward slightly in her chair, she fixed them all with a steady gaze that seemed to pierce right through their hearts. "The Powers of Darkness can be used as a strong tool of evil, and once you have allowed that power to enter into your heart, it isn't so easy to separate yourself from its alluring pull again. It is the same for both humans and digimon. No one is immune to the darkness that lurks inside all of our hearts, and anyone can succumb to that power if they do not have the strength to keep it at bay. You, as the Digidestined, know this lesson well. Some more than others, for you have experienced it yourselves."

Seermon's violet eyes settled on Ken, who was sitting between Davis and Izzy, and lowering his head, the raven-haired Digidestined said solemnly, "It is not a fate I would wish on anyone. I can't even begin to explain how lucky I was that there were those wiling to risk their lives to help me find myself again."

Davis put a comforting hand on Ken's shoulder, and turning to Seermon, he gave her a defiant look. "After what we've all been through, there's nothing we can't handle if we all work together. The darkness might be strong, but all of us are even stronger!"

"Let us hope that is so," Seermon said softly, her violet gaze studying the stubborn look on the goggle-headed leader's face. "The darkness hunts you, and I fear it is so deceptive in nature that if you cannot uncover the truth before it's too late it will claim the hearts of those who cannot see through the mask it hides behind. The shadows are gathering, and they lurk in every corner. They are watching you, and they will strike when you least expect it."

"Huh?" Terriermon said, scratching his head in confusion.

"The light must continue to burn brightly within all of you if you do not want to lose sight of your enemies."

"You can't see shadows or detect them if they are hiding in the darkness," T.K. finished, his blue gaze fixed intently on Seermon.

Seermon did not reply. Instead, she merely gave the golden-haired Digidestined an unreadable look, and watching T.K., Willis felt his heart start to race.

_Through the shadows, evil calls. The face of nightmares shall be shown._

Remembering the lines of the poem that had been sent to Yolei's email, Willis leaned forward in his chair, trying unsuccessfully to see into the depths of Seermon's hood. "That poem you sent to Yolei's inbox. That was no ordinary poem. That was a prophecy, wasn't it."

There were several gasps around the table, and growing excited, Patamon said, "It's just like the one about us, Gatomon!"

"Yeah, but what does it mean?" Gatomon asked, frowning in confusion.

Everyone turned to look at Seermon, and gazing back at them she placed her hand on the crystal ball, her slim, white fingers running lightly over its smooth, glass surface. "It came to me in a dream, and though I can decipher it to a certain extent, even I do not know the entirety of what the prophecy means. Only you, the Digidestined, can answer that question for yourselves."

"That sounds like a lot of work to me," Terriermon complained.

"And how are we supposed to figure out what it means if even you can't figure it out?" Veemon piped up, looking at Davis for support.

"You must find a way because you need to know the threat of what waits for you in the darkness," Seermon replied, avoiding the question. "While I may not be able to decipher exactly what the prophecy foretells, I can still offer you my wisdom and guidance on the matter. If you choose to take my words to heart, that is."

"Don't mind Veemon," Wormmon said, giving the seer an apologetic look. "He's just impatient like his partner."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Davis shouted, glaring at Wormmon.

"Please, do tell," Lopmon said shyly, ignoring Davis and gazing eagerly at Seermon. "We would love to hear your opinion on this matter of the prophecy."

"Something hides within the darkness, and it will not rest until it has claimed the light burning within all of you. Hold onto your friends, and do not lose sight of the strength that all of you possess. It will be your greatest ally in the days to come. The heart must be able to see the truth within the lies or all will be lost."

"A warning," Izzy said softly, his mind obviously somewhere else. "The prophecy is a warning to be wary of the darkness that threatens us. And if we ignore it, it could potentially threaten the entire Digital World."

"It also mentions the crests," Kari interrupted, her amber gaze straying over Cody's head to glance at T.K., who was sitting on Cody's left, before settling on Seermon. "They must be important if the prophecy mentioned them."

_Important enough to randomly make a new one out of nowhere._

Willis yanked the chain around his neck over his head in a sudden burst of frustration, and throwing the crest on the table, he ignored the clatter it made as it hit the base of the crystal ball, his gaze remaining firmly fixed on Seermon. "And speaking of crests, maybe you can explain this while you're at it."

_I need to know. If my suspicions are correct then..._

Willis could feel T.K. and Kari watching him, but he refused to look at either one of them. Instead, he kept his gaze focused on Seermon, who was staring back at him with equal intensity.

Seermon did not attempt to take the crest into her hands. Instead, she gave the small trinket barely a glance before her eyes once again locked with his. "There is nothing to explain. You know what it means, and deep within your heart I believe you know the reason why it was given to you."

"Willis?" Lopmon asked, looking uncertain.

Willis could feel everyone watching him now, and thinking back on the words of the prophecy, his hands began to shake as Seermon confirmed what he had already come to believe. "Faith."

"What?" T.K. asked sharply, leaning towards him to hear better.

"The crest. Its meaning is faith. The Crest of Faith."

"But...how?" Kari asked, leaning forward as well. "How do you know?"

Willis didn't answer. He continued to gaze at Seermon, and his next words came out in a whisper. "But...what do I do?"

"Only you can answer that," Seermon replied, her violet eyes growing suddenly warm and sympathetic. "I cannot show you the way. You must forge your own path through the darkness. The light of your crest and the strength of your spirit will help guide the way."

"What are you guys talking about?" Davis asked, looking rather frustrated.

"Forget it, Davis," Cody spoke up, his arms tightening around Armadilliomon. "Even if she gave us an answer, I doubt we would understand it."

"And if that light fails?" Willis demanded, determined to at least receive some sort of an answer from the digital seer.

"You know the words of the prophecy as well as I do," Seermon replied, shaking her head.

Willis was about to reply, but before he could get any words out, she leaned over the table and whispered, "Hold onto your friends. Do not lose sight of them. Do not forget what is truly important. Do not let him out of your sight or all will be lost."

Willis let out a gasp, and jerking away from her, he sat back in his chair, his mind racing.

**_"Do not let him out of your sight."_**

There was no doubt about it now. Though he still did not know entirely what was going on, he knew his friend was in serious trouble, and the crests were somehow the key to fighting the darkness that would eventually threaten them all.

_He needs us, and if we fail him..._

"I can tell you only what the prophecy reveals to me, but with that being said, perhaps you can enlighten yourselves a bit, if you have strength enough to glimpse what the future may hold for you," Seermon continued, speaking to everyone and waving her hand at the crystal ball. "Is the strength of your hearts strong enough to decipher the fate that may or may not await you depending on your actions?"

**"This forest has many secrets. I wonder...Will you be able to decipher them all?"**

For some reason the words of that strange girl from earlier came back to him, and frowning Willis continued to gaze at the crystal ball with uncertainty.

**"Hold onto your friends..."**

Seermon had insisted he already knew the reason why he had been given a crest, and thinking back on the prophecy, he felt his heart rate continue to increase.

_The only way to save your soul,_  
_Should darkness ever enter.  
Take the hands of those who hold,  
The power that is your equal._

The meaning was fairly obvious now.

_The power of the crests. He needs me. That's why...that's why I was given one. That's why those particular crests, the Crest of Hope and the Crest of Light, have come back to us..._

"Let's do this!" Davis said, making a fist.

Seermon glanced at each of them in turn, as if measuring the strength of their determination, and once again placing her hand on the glowing orb on the table, she said, "I want all of you to look closely into this crystal ball, and I will tell you what I see."

"Sounds good to me," Davis replied, shrugging and keeping his eyes focused on the crystal ball.

Seermon quickly swept her hand across the top of the ball, revealing several thin bracelets of silver circling her wrist, and immediately a milky white fog filled the glowing crystal ball, the crimson light in the room turning the mist a vibrant red.

Suddenly the mist inside the orb turned pitch black and the crimson light in the room grew dimmer, as if the darkness from the orb was beginning to seep out into the room all around them.

"What's happening?" Patamon cried anxiously, glancing fearfully around at the walls.

"The darkness that threatens you is both mysterious and terrible," Seermon said in a misty voice that was barely above a whisper. "It seeks to use you for a greater purpose, to destroy the one whose heart protects you from the most crippling of weaknesses."

"What weakness would that be?" Yolei demanded.

"Despair," Seermon whispered, her voice full of sorrow. "If the darkness claims what it seeks, all of you shall be lost."

"No way!" Davis interrupted, his hands clenching into tight fists. "There's no way we're going to let that happen!"

"But how?" Cody murmured, almost to himself. "How do we protect ourselves from the darkness that hunts us?"

"You must harness the power of the Trinity. That is your only hope."

"The what?" Ken asked, frowning in confusion.

"It is your only hope," Seermon whispered. "The darkness seeks to use the one it hunts to destroy you all. Only the power of the Trinity can save you from the evil that threatens you."

Willis found himself unable to look away from the crystal ball, and watching it closely he gasped when a familiar face suddenly filled the orb. It was the face of the girl they had seen earlier. The one with the strange eyes and lavender hair.

_Who is she, and why is she here in the Digital World?_

Abruptly the crimson glow in the room flared brightly again, and the light from the crystal ball dimmed and disappeared.

For a moment everyone just sat there in stunned silence, and then Davis spoke, his words slow and uncertain. "I saw us...drowning in darkness inside the crystal ball, but...this digimon appeared. It looked liked Cherubimon, but he was all white. He didn't look like the one we saw in New York..."

"Like the one I became," Lopmon said sadly, shaking his head.

Willis hugged the little rookie tightly and whispered, "It's okay. We're past that now. That won't ever happen again."

"I saw feathers. Lots and lots of feathers," Yolei said softly, looking awed. "They were angel feathers."

"I saw the crests," Izzy said in excitement, his eyes flashing brightly in the dim glow of the room. "The three crests that we have now. They were glowing."

"I...saw a flash of something evil," Ken murmured, shuddering. "I think it might have been a glimpse of whatever is hunting us. The darkness emanating from it was immensely powerful. I couldn't see any features though. Just the shadow of an outline."

"I saw the words of the prophecy. They were burning," Cody added.

Willis turned to Kari and T.K., both of whom appeared reluctant to speak.

For a moment Willis was sure they weren't going to reveal what they had seen, but then Kari lifted her head and said quietly, "I saw pinpoints of light. They were glowing, and they were connected."

_Pinpoints of light..._

Willis was sure there was more to what Kari had seen, but it was clear she did not intend to elaborate on what had been revealed to her inside the crystal ball.

Like Kari, T.K. seemed hesitant to speak, and without looking at anyone, he said simply, "I saw myself in the crystal ball, and Kari and Willis were with me."

_Huh..._

Willis was sure now that T.K. was also hiding something and that there was more to what he had seen, but he didn't have long to dwell on the matter as everyone was now staring at him.

"What did you see?" Yolei asked curiously, giving him an encouraging smile.

_Should I tell them?_

For some reason he felt reluctant to admit he had seen the strange girl from earlier, and feeling guilty, he kept his eyes on the table as he said, "I saw...a face. At least...I think I did. The darkness was so thick I could barely make it out."

That at least was true. The image had been very quick, and it had been shrouded in darkness. Maybe he had only thought he saw the girl, but what he had really seen was something else entirely.

_Maybe. _

Willis could tell Kari and T.K. didn't believe him, but luckily neither one chose to question him at the moment. Instead, everyone turned their attention back to Seermon, who was watching them all closely.

"What was that all about?" Davis demanded, a frown on his face. "What exactly were we seeing?"

"One of many possible futures, which may or may not come to pass," Seermon said simply, her violet eyes sparkling in the crimson light of the room. "Beware the darkness, Digidestined. Anger, murder, jealously. They have come to exact justice upon you. Beware the Winged Maidens. Beware the Daughters of the Night."

_Huh?_

Willis was about to ask what she meant by that when the sound of a loud crash outside suddenly caught his attention.

"What was that?" Armadillomon asked.

"Are we being attacked?" Tentomon gasped.

Everyone turned to glance at the door, and a second crash sounded, this one louder than the first.

_What in the Digiworld is going on out there?_

Willis quickly twisted back around in his chair to ask Seermon what was happening, but to his surprise he found her chair empty. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal her presence either, and there was no way she could have slipped through the door without someone seeing her.

Somehow, as if by magic, the seer had disappeared.


End file.
